


An Unexpected Arrangement

by GazDibMama



Series: Unexpected Arrangement 'Verse [1]
Category: Sons of Anarchy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, I'm Still Bad At Tagging, Lots of Tara bashing, Multi, PAY ATTENTION TO NEW TAGS!!!!!!, Past Child Abuse, Past Child Neglect, Past Sexual Abuse of a Child, Polyamory, Thomas went through bad shit, references to child pornography
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-05-16 02:02:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 101
Words: 111,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5809222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GazDibMama/pseuds/GazDibMama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being released from jail, Tara takes off with Thomas. Two years later they return....</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prolouge

**Author's Note:**

> This is another AU story. I started it at the end of S5 of SOA when Tara was arrested. This is what my brain came up with. For story purposes Abel and Thomas are three years apart and Abel was already in kindergarten when Tara was in jail.
> 
> Not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> I have a lot more of this story, but for now am only posting the prologue to gauge interest.

An Unexpected Arrangement

Prologue

Sometimes long rides were a good thing. They gave him a chance to think, a chance to remember…

He didn’t know when it started. That wasn’t true. Although part of him knows that it had kind of started a month earlier, it had truly started the night Tara left for good, taking Thomas with her.

It had all started with a phone call that Chibs received that afternoon from his girl Ella. Tara, who had just gotten out of jail three days earlier, where she had spent the last six months for the situation with Otto, had called Ella, asking her to pick Abel up from kindergarten.

As he knew now, Abel had said something to Ella that had set off enough alarms for her to call Chibs. He can remember the Scot’s facial expression become darker and darker the longer he listened. When Chibs stalked over to him, he was certain she’d told the man about the drunken kiss he had planted on her while Chibs had been on a run the previous week. If it had only been that easy.

He recalls the fury that started to boil in the pit of his stomach when Chibs told him what Abel had told Ella. That Mommy and Thomas were going out of town on a trip and that he couldn’t go because he was in school, that Ella would take care of him. Chibs told him that Ella thought he should go check the house, Tara had seemed ‘off’ when she had called asking her to pick Abel up. He didn't question his VP. If Chibs trusted Ella's assessment of the situation, so did he. Looking back, that should have clued him into how he felt about the two of them. They had his implicit trust.

They hadn’t bothered with bikes. Chibs had just shoved him into his truck and driven to his house in silence. He can remember walking in and the house had such an empty feeling. He knew they were gone, but he went and looked anyway. Yeah, Tara and Thomas’s stuff gone, along with $15,000 in cash from the safe in their bedroom. He had started to shake while standing in the middle of his youngest son’s room.

Chibs had come in, holding that fucking letter. The letter that told him that she was getting Thomas out before he became tainted. That she wasn’t taking Abel because he wasn’t really hers, but she could make sure he never saw Thomas again. She would send divorce papers and papers giving up custody of Abel. That she had loved the boy he had been, not the man he had become.

He can feel the small smile that passes his lips as he remembers Chibs’s strong arms wrapped around him as he collapsed to the floor. “I’ve got ye brother, I got ye.” The man’s Scottish accent becoming more pronounced, a sure sign of strong emotions. He can still see Chibs’s taking the letter, reading it quickly, his gloved hand shaking.

He recalls folding in on the other man, heartbreak and anger still sending tremors through his body, trying to take comfort in the familiar smells of leather and smoke. Chibs let him stay like that for a while, until the shakes calmed. He remembers those strong arms lifting him to the couch in the room, then striding out while tugging his cel out of a jacket pocket.

He still doesn’t know how long he sat there, staring at the floor, but remembers the glass of whiskey that was shoved in his hand as the Scot sat down by him on the couch, on the phone with his mother telling her to take Abel for the night, that he and Ella would take care of Jax. The now ungloved hand that rubbed circles on his back as Chibs called the clubhouse, telling Tig of the situation and if anything comes up, Tig and the others would just have to fuckin’ handle it.

He remembers how easy it was to just let Chibs take control of it all, and how much he trusted the other man to do so. 

Slowing down to smoke a cigarette on a deserted stretch of road, he remembers Chibs’s bundling him back into the truck and driving to Ella’s. The older man telling him that Abel was there and he would have to hold himself together until Gemma could pick the lad up. That Ella had decided they would all stay with the out of town story until they could figure out what to tell the lad.

Even now his eyes still sting with tears remembering his sweet, oblivious boy bounding inside from being in the pool, throwing his wet body into his arms. The way he wiggled out of them to go greet his grandmother, excited to spend the night. Gemma, who had been barely containing her own fury when she had walked into Ella’s house, buried it all when faced with her grandson.

He can remember how at the time he had no idea what to tell his son. How do you tell a five year old that the only woman he has known as his mother, isn’t, and that she had taken his half-brother and left them both?

He remembers the relief when Chibs and Ella double teamed his mother, telling her once again to take care of Abel, they would take care of him. The looks on both of their faces telling Gemma they were brooking no argument from her.

He still shivers slightly at the look of an almost primal rage on Ella’s face as she read the letter that Tara left. How Chibs had wrapped his arms around her, with a tired chuckle, “Yer so Scottish.” when she threw the letter down, seething, “If that bitch comes back, I swear to God I’ll rip her apart with my bare hands!”

He remembers the moment of guilt as he realized how attached Ella had become to both Abel and Thomas over the previous three months. From the time she started helping he and Gemma, it had become routine that the boys stayed the night with her when he got stuck late on club business, or when he was on a run. Shit, she had nursed the boys through bronchitis. She had turned her guest room into a room for the boys, during those months she had become a surrogate mother to his sons.

He remembers Chibs grabbing two glasses and a bottle of Scotch, setting them on the dining room table, telling both of them to start drinking, he’d be back. He was going to check in at the clubhouse and get more booze. How it felt when Chibs dropped a kiss on his head as he left, strange that even then it had felt so natural.

He remembers Chibs coming back a few hours later to the two of them totally wasted on the couch, intertwined, alternating between crying and cursing Tara's name. The fact that Chibs hadn’t blinked an eye, just locked the door behind him, set the bag with whiskey and cigarettes on the coffee table, took off his gloves, cut, and jacket, joining them on the couch. The fit of drunken laughter from he and Ella as Chibs announced they were cut off until he caught up.

He can remember that when the three of them were as drunk and high as three people could be and still be capable of both movement and speech, trying to leave, saying he just needed to get laid, get out of his head for just one goddamned minute.

If he were to concentrate, he’d be able to feel the pressure on his wrist when Chibs grabbed him, pulling him flush to his body. How his cock stood at attention when that drunken Scottish burr growled in his ear, “I told ye Jackie boy, we’d take care of ye for th’ night, and that’s wot I meant. Last thing ye need is to be bangin’ some whore who doesn’t give two shites about ye. We’ll take ye out of ye head tonight lad, just need to trust us.” He could remember the last time he had heard that tone come from Chibs.

And trust them he had. He remembers Ella’s soft lips and the roughness of Chibs’s goatee. The gentle caresses from rough hands, the bruising grabs from smaller, softer hands. The tight heat of being buried inside her while being filled with Chibs’s cock. The sobs that wracked his body as he had the most intense orgasm of his life. The soft words and gentle embraces as limbs tangled, falling into sleep.

How when he woke the next morning he was ensnared between Ella’s ivory limbs and Chibs curled into his back. The odd and new, but pleasant ache as the night came back to him. He remembers the initial shock at how content, how safe he felt. How surprised that he hadn’t bolted or freaked the fuck out.

He remembers how not awkward it was when Chibs ran a calloused hand down his spine asking him other than the massive hangover, how was he feeling. That it had been so hard to find his voice, finally croaking out a “Fine”, and Chibs responding chuckle as he placed a kiss on his neck, “Not yet, but ye will be. We’ve got yer back.” Ella’s grasp becoming tighter as she nodded into his chest at Chibs’s words.

He couldn’t believe that had been a little over two years ago. In that time, the three of them, plus Abel, had fallen into an arrangement, for lack of a better term, that suited them all.

With Gemma’s blessing, Ella had become a mother figuratively, and then nine months ago, literally, when she adopted Abel. Strangely, for a woman who claimed to not have a maternal bone in her body, Ella was actually a very good mother, not even Gemma fucked with her edicts. Everyone knew that as far as Ella was concerned, the moment the adoption papers were signed, Abel was hers, and God help anyone who tried to hurt her son. 

Both he and Ella had sold their houses, the four of them moving into a larger house that fit Abel’s only criteria. The boy wasn’t going to lose the swimming pool that he had at Ella’s. And to protect both Ella and Abel; he, Chibs, and Ella decided to put the house in her name only. As she said, if you don’t own it, they can’t take it.

He would still take various sweetbutts and croweaters into his bed at the clubhouse, or while on a run. But at least a couple of times a week, he put himself their hands. He had found with all of the pressures of holding the gavel, he needed a place where he could give it all up and just hand over control to the only two people he found he loved and trusted enough to do so.

Once, about eighteen months ago, he had tried to talk to Ella, trying to wrap his head around what was going on with the three of them. He remembers her taking a hit from the joint he had passed her while both of them were watching Abel splash in the shallow end of the pool. He can still hear the short, sardonic laugh she gave as she looked at him. “Jackson, anyone who told you matters of love and sex were straightforward, lied. Sometimes, when you find something, someone, or someones, who make you happy, fulfill your wants and needs, no matter how unconventional, you don’t question it. Just hold on for dear life and hope to hell you have the strength and perseverance to make it last.” The way her gray eyes pinned him down, answering the question he had been afraid to voice, even to himself, “We’re not going anywhere. Me and Filip, we aren’t the cut and run types. When we decide we love someone, it’s a forever thing.” 

That had been the last time he had tried to define it, even to himself. He was just grateful for it. For the first time ever, his life felt strangely stable. Loved for exactly who and what he was, no one telling he had to change to earn that love.

Not that it was always easy. The three of them walked a tightrope. The club had taken a speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil attitude towards the unorthodox arrangement. So far, other than Gemma and Tig, everyone seemed to buy the impression that Ella was splitting time between their beds. The three of them had agreed that it was probably the only way that the club would even begin to wrap their heads around it. He had the feeling that both Gemma and Tig had figured out the truth, but both were keeping their own counsel about it.

The club accepted Ella as Chibs old lady, and Abel’s mom, and since her take down of Ima over a year ago, the club started to look at Ella as his de-facto old lady when needed. If anyone had any other thoughts on what was going on, they were smart enough to keep it to themselves. Not because they were afraid of he and Chibs. They were all nervous about what Ella would do if she caught anyone saying shit, even Happy.

Tara had sent divorce papers about two months after she left. It had surprised him when it hadn’t hurt as much as he thought it would. She had mailed everything through a third party so that he would be unable to locate her. Although he, the club, and various private detectives Ella had hired hadn’t stopped looking, Tara had managed to disappear. 

Other than missing Thomas, he was happier than he had been, well, for a very long time.


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After two years, Tara shows her face at TM

Chapter One

He signaled to Chibs and Juice to pull into a gas station. He needed to stretch his legs for a minute. When they got parked, he pulled out his phone. Six missed calls. Four from Ella, two from the garage. 

Looking over he could see Chibs frowning at his own phone, while Juice ran into the gas station, muttering about needing to piss.

Chibs walked over, “Lotta missed calls. Ye checkin’ in?” 

He nodded as he called Ella’s phone, putting it on speaker. The two of them exchanged a confused look when Tig answered Ella’s phone. “About fuckin’ time brother. All fuckin’ hell is breakin’ loose here. You and Chibs need to get your asses back here, like now, before your girl goes off the fuckin’ deep end and fuckin’ kills her.”

Chibs, whose burr was becoming more pronounced, laughed, “Wot the fuck is goin’ on Tigger? Who is she tryin’ to kill?!”

Jax had an awful feeling that was confirmed when Tig sighed, “Fuckin’ Doc comes rollin’ up about an hour ago. Thought I’d have to restrain Gemma, but she’s so fuckin’ happy to see the kid, she’s ignoring Tara. But she did manage to call La. She came screamin’ into the lot about fifteen minutes later. After she sees Thomas and my guess, make sure that Gemma would keep him in the office, she launched herself at the Doc, beatin’ the shit outta her ‘til I got La pulled off. Finally just had to tie her to a chair in the clubhouse. And before either one of ya jump my ass for that, every fuckin’ time I let her go, she’d go after the Doc. The last time she nearly got a hold of Happy’s knife. Figured you might want the Doc alive to answer questions.”

He couldn’t even begin to muster an answer, his head was spinning so fast. Chibs threw an arm around his shoulder. To anyone else it would have looked like a casual gesture of camaraderie, but he knew otherwise, Chibs was trying to hold him together.

The older man took over, “We’ll be there in about thirty minutes. Hate to say it Tiggy, but if she can’t calm herself down, yer gonna have to keep her trussed up. Tell her we’re on our way.”

Ending the call, Chibs placed the phone back in his hand, giving it a rough squeeze, “I’m gonna go grab Juicy-boy so we can go. Ye gonna be okay to ride?” Those dark eyes studying him intently, gauging what he saw on his face with what would come out of his mouth. Chibs was an incredibly hard man to get anything past.

Running a hand over his face, he could feel a shaky sigh escape his body, “Gonna have to be brother.” Then he chuckled, “Plus, if we don’t get back there soon, she’ll probably have chewed her way out of whatever Tig tied her up with.”

Chibs let go a wicked laugh, “Aye. That she would. Maybe I should call Tiggy back, tell him to take a picture.” Finishing with a mild leer.

He was laughing as he lit a smoke, waiting for the other two, so they could get back to Charming. As much as he did not want to see Tara, he was desperate to see Thomas. And Ella. Part of him hated that she had lost it to the point where Tig of all people, felt she needed to be restrained. But he couldn’t deny the surge of pride in the fact that she would protect the life that had been built in Tara’s absence with such fierceness.

When he spied Chibs manhandling Juice out of the gas station door, he threw a leg over his Dyna, ready to get back to whatever clusterfuck awaited them at the clubhouse.


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guys make it back to TM. Jax and Thomas reunite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

He had pushed their speed, managing to get back to the garage in about twenty minutes. Pulling into the lot, he could see Tara sitting at one of the picnic tables, Happy and Bobby trying to look casual while making sure his ex-wife didn’t bolt. He could also see the beginnings of a black eye, a split lip, and a cut on her cheekbone. And from the way she was holding herself, he knew that Ella had gotten some body shots in. He could also see that the last two years hadn’t been kind. She was thinner, more haggard. He tried to find some sympathy, but found himself coming up short.

As he and Chibs were backing their bikes into their spots, Tig walked over, “Finally! One of you can go untie La. Last time I went in there, she threatened to cut my balls off. With a dull, serrated knife. And then pour salt and rubbing alcohol where they had been.” Tig smiled that manic smile of his, “God, I love that woman.” Becoming serious again, “Thomas is in the office with Gem. Doc really hasn’t said shit and we haven’t been answering any of her questions. That order came from La.”

He nodded, giving Chibs a glance to take the lead. At the moment he did not trust himself not to go finish the job Ella had started.

Chibs nodded, “Jackie boy, I’m gonna go untie the feral lass, hopefully convince her not to kill the Doc, at least for now.” He can feel Chibs pushing him towards the office, “Go see the lad. Then you and Gemma bring the Doc into the clubhouse, whatever brought her back can’t be good.” Clapping him on the back gently, the Scot strode towards the clubhouse and their ‘feral lass’.

As he went to take a step towards the office, the door swung open. There was his mother, the evidence of tears fresh on her face. Standing next to her was his son. He was taller and lankier than Abel had been at four, his dark hair making the blue of his eyes stand out. He was dressed for the early fall day in faded blue jeans and solid blue long sleeve shirt.

He froze, not knowing what to do. Did his son remember him, any of them? Before he could make a move, Thomas ran from his grandmother’s side, a huge smile splitting his face, “Daddy!” the boy shouted as he launched himself into his arms.

Wrapping his arms around the small body, which seemed too thin to him, he buried his face into his son’s hair, inhaling his scent. It may have been the sweetest thing he had ever smelled. “Hey buddy. We’ve sure missed you. Me, Abel, Grandma, and Ella.” Squeezing him a little tighter. “So much.”

“I missed all of you too, Daddy. Am I gonna go home with you?” The look on Thomas’s face was hopeful.

“I hope so buddy. Abel’s sure gonna want to see you. But I need to talk to your mommy first.” He cocked his head at Bugsy, a transfer from SAMVEG. He had twins Thomas’s age, so he knew how to handle a four year old. “Bugsy here is gonna take you to the swings while me, Grandma, and Ella talk to your mommy.”

The boy nodded and made a beeline for the swings. He looked at Bugsy, “Keep an eye on him. I don’t want him anywhere near the clubhouse. And if Tara comes out and tries to take him…that isn’t gonna happen, got it?”

The other man nodded, “Got it Pres. Don’t let the child snatching bitch leave. Keep the kid entertained. Think I can handle that.”

He clapped Bugsy on the shoulder and then turned to Gemma, nodding towards the clubhouse and Tara, who was sitting outside, “She say anything?”

His mother glared at Tara, who looked away from the older woman, “Until La got here just said she’d wait for you.” Then with a highly satisfied smile, “After La got here, it was a whole lot of ‘No’, ‘Stop’, ‘Please’, ‘Ow’.” With a chuckle, “Knew I liked La for a reason.” She gave him one of those looks, the one that said she knew exactly what was going on, “Hell of an old lady, even if she is Chibs.” The unspoken part was, ‘And acting like yours.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're enjoying this. I have a lot of this story already done, so feedback would be lovely!


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ella gets untied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

When they reached the clubhouse, he gestured to Tara and then opened the door to Tig looking ashen and abashed. When he followed Tig’s eyes, he forgot about Tara and everyone else in the room, seeing only the bleeding rope burns on Ella’s wrists.

His brain was overloaded to the point of shutting down, so there was a sense of relief when Tig yelled for everyone who wasn’t Jax, Ella, Chibs, Gemma, and Tara to get the fuck out. When the last of them scurried out, Tig took a spot at the door to keep anyone from coming in.

Chibs shot Tig an angry look, his voice rough, “Make yerself useful Tiggy, and go get my bag.” As he turned back to her, Jax could see his eyes grow softer, as did his voice, “Luv, I’m gonna have to clean these up and get some bandages on ‘em.” She nodded.

Chibs turned to him, “Yer gonna have to hold her arms still while I clean ‘em up.” Chibs turned back to Ella, “It’s gonna hurt luv.”

He nodded, moving closer to the two of them, unable to take his eyes from the bloody wounds.

“Jax” Tara’s voice intruded, “I would like to talk to you alone.”

He turned to her, all of the anger he thought he had let go of rising to the surface, “No.” His voice growing harder and louder, “You lost the right to dictate anything two years ago. Nothing happens until La is taken care of.” He turned back to Chibs and Ella.

He felt his chest tighten when Ella looked at him, her eyes filled with pain, anger, and elation, “Did you see Thomas?” The luminous, almost childlike smile he loved so much gracing her face.

Before he could reply, Tig was back in the room with Chibs medical bag, “Shit doll, I’m sorry. If I’da known…”

She waved him off, “Should have known better. But if you feel so bad, you can get me a drink and find me a cigarette, think I left mine in the Rover.” Then grinned at him, “But fair warning Tigger, I will get some sort of payback.”

Tig grinned back while handing her a lit cigarette, “Look forward to it doll.” Walking away to get her a drink. 

No one spoke while he held each arm in turn as Chibs cleaned them up. The slight hisses from Ella the only sounds in the room.

Once Chibs got the bandages on her, he gave her a kiss, “There ye are luv. We’ll take ‘em off when we go te bed tonight, get some air te ‘em.” Then leaning in closer, “Remember this the next time ye decide te go all feral on us.”


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first confrontation with Tara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> Warning: Tara bashing begins. And really doesn't end. For those that love Tara, this is not the story for you.

Now that Ella was taken care of, he turned back to Tara, who looked as if she were facing a firing squad. Which, he supposed in some ways, she was. He knew it was petty, but part of him was really enjoying watching her squirm.

Of course it was his mother who broke the silence. “Why’d ya come back?”

Before Tara could say anything, Ella started to laugh. They all looked at her, questions clear on all of their faces.

She looked at all of them, an incredulous look on her face. “What?! Like you people don’t know. She’s in trouble, like she was the first time she came back. She has another Kohn she wants Jackson to deal with.” Sneering at Tara, she continued. “You supposedly hate this life, and the man it has turned Jackson into, but you seem to have no problem using him as needed. Correct?” Raising an eyebrow, daring Tara to contradict her, as she took a sip of the whiskey that Tig had brought her.

He figured they were all suppressing smiles as Tara tried to give Ella a defiant look, but it was lacking as she backed up when Ella stood, looking ready for another round. “Why I’m here is between me and Jax.” Tara turned to Chibs, “Don’t you have any control over your old lady?”

As the rest of them snickered at that thought, Chibs laughed boomed. “Only in one place and that ain’t here.” Then his face darkened. “And for all that, I’d bet ye, she’s right.”

He needed to step in before this went totally fucking sideways. “Once again Tara, why are you here? The last time anyone managed to get a beat on you, you were in North Carolina. That was what, six weeks ago? What happened? Is Ella right? Another Kohn?” Running a hand through his hair. “If that’s the case, you can leave Thomas here and drift back into the wind. Actually, I’m good with that regardless.” He nearly laughed as he could see Ella nodding like a fucking bobble-head out of the corner of his eye.

He wanted to take a step back when Tara moved closer, but forced himself to stay put while talking himself out of throttling her. 

Tara’s eyes were pleading. “That’s not while I came back.” He could hear Gemma and Ella snort. Tara faltered for a moment, “Thomas missed all of you. I just couldn’t keep hurting him like that.” She tried to reach out to him, he couldn’t help but back away. He did not want her touching him. Well that, and the fact that Ella may just go off again if Tara touched him, and he didn’t want Ella to hurt herself any further.

He could see the lie in her eyes. He was pretty sure that the others could see it as well, but they kept quiet, even Ella, who always had an opinion and no inhibitions in voicing them. They were waiting to see what he would do. Too bad he had no fucking idea.

Tara pressed on. “I would like to see Abel if possible.”

He and his mother answered simultaneously. “No.” As Ella said, “We’ll see.”

Both he and Gemma turned to Ella, shocked. Hadn’t she just tried to end Tara less than two hours ago?

Ella turned to Chibs, the two of them having a rapid conversation in Gaelic. He fuckin’ hated it when they did that. It was one of the few instances he felt truly separate from them. Chibs gave her a slight nod, his dark eyes as inscrutable as always.

Ella turned to him. “Jackson, we need to speak privately for a moment.” Shit. He knew that look. Knew that tone of voice. Not only would she not be accepting no for an answer, he was gonna end up doing something he really did not want to. The last time he saw that look he ended up at fucking Disneyworld.

He nodded. “My room.” She looked at Chibs, nodded, heading in the direction of the dorms. He looked around the room. Tara looked shocked. Gemma had a small smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. Tig was looking at the floor, while Chibs gave him a look that was full of sympathy and encouragement. Sighing, he followed her to the dorms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it.


	6. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chibs ponders and then drops a bomb on Tara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Chibs lit a smoke while watching Jackie and their girl leave the room, heading for the dorms. If Gem and Tig hadn’t been there, he would have followed. He truly did not give a fuck what Tara thought. Actually, he didn’t really care what any of them thought. He was fairly certain that both Gemma and Tig had figured it out. All he cared about was that they kept their mouths shut, and other than subtle comments made to the three of them, they had. And he was pretty sure they would continue to do so. 

He forced himself to still. He was worried about both Ella and Jackie. He could see the tension in both of their bodies. They were both strung so tight, he was afraid one, or both of them would snap. 

He chuckled inwardly, the annoyance on Tara’s face was well, amusing. “Somethin’ on yer mind Doc?” Keeping his voice nonchalant.

“Why is Jax talking to her privately, about Abel?” She was trying to play tough now that Ella was out of the room, and she couldn’t try to play on her history with Jackie. “Why does she even have a say?”

He kept smoking his cigarette, in no real hurry to answer her question. He looked at both Gemma and Tig. Gemma gave him a small, almost non-existent nod, while Tig’s eyes lit up, in anticipation of what was going to come.

“Are you going to answer my question?” Tara sounded even more annoyed.

Grinding out his cigarette, he stood, done caring what any of them thought. The longer he sat there, the more he worried about the other two. “She’s the lad’s mum. All legal. Boy even has a new birth certificate.” He walked past her to the dorms.

Yeah, it was worth the look on her face. And the laughs from Gem and Tig. He just hoped Ella and Jackie wouldn’t kick his arse.


	7. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in the dorms...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All the mistakes are mine.

After they were both inside his room, he turned, locking the door.

Ella raised an eyebrow. “No one will let her back here.”

Chuckling he sat down at the foot of his bed. “Doesn’t guarantee that my mom won’t try.” He snagged her by the elbow, pulling her down to the bed beside him.

She laughed lightly. “Good point.”

“How are the wrists?” He asked pulling her hands into his.

“Fine.” She pulled them away, getting up, beginning to pace. “Although I’m sure once the adrenaline rush is gone they’ll hurt like hell.”

He got up, trying to get her to stop pacing and sit down. For some reason she was edgy and tense. “Why?”

She turned to him, “Why what?”

Before he could answer, they were both startled by footsteps stopping in front of his door. Before either of them could react, they heard Chibs, “Relax kids, only me.” They could hear the key he had in the door.

When he entered, Ella took his keys, “I need to change clothes. Really don’t need Abel seeing my clothes covered in blood.” She bolted for Chibs room.

He went to follow her and felt Chibs grab his arm, “Give her a minute. Then we’ll go in there.”

He sat back down on the bed, Chibs taking a spot next to him, wrapping an arm around him. He leaned into it. “She was fine until I asked her why she attacked Tara. Then she just shut down.” He closed his eyes, “I’ve seen her angry before, and this isn’t anger, this is somethin’ else.”

Chibs placed a soft kiss on his temple. “Aye. It is somethin’ else, and she hasn’t quite figured it out.” Then he chuckled, “That’s not true, she knows exactly what it is and that’s what bothers her.”

He shook his head. Sometimes he could swear that Chibs knew the two of them better than they knew themselves. Or at least him. He had the feeling Ella knew herself incredibly well, and that’s why every once in a while, you just had let her have a bit of space for a moment, so she could think. “Well, I’d love for someone to explain it to me. Because that wasn’t just anger over what Tara did two years ago.”

Chibs pulled away from him, looking at him carefully, “Oh I’m sure part of it is related to two years ago, and the lads, but…” Now Chibs was pacing, “today wasn’t really about anger. Ella’s scared, pure and simple.”

He ran a hand over his face, he didn’t understand. “Why would she be scared? She’s Abel’s mom. Tara can’t do shit about it.”

Chibs smiled as he sat back down next to him. “Jackie boy, ye really aren’t getting it are ye?” Chuckling, Chibs ran a hand down his back. “Like I said, part of it is about Abel and Thomas. But the bigger part is about ye.”

Now he was really confused, “Me? Why would she beat the crap out of Tara over me? We’re done. You two were there.”

Chibs nodded, “And now that Tara is back, Ella is afraid that she’ll twist ye up again. She’s afraid that if that happens, we won’t be able to put ye back together. And that pisses her off somethin’ fierce.” Another chuckle, “I think for a brief moment she considered just killin’ her and bein’ done.” Getting up, Chibs held out a hand, “C’mon Jackie boy, let’s go get our girl and figure out what the fuck we’re gonna do.”

He let Chibs pull him up, pulling him close. He buried his face in the other man’s neck, taking comfort in the familiar smell. “Yeah. Probably need to get back out there before Gemma decides to go after Tara.” He placed a kiss on Chibs’s neck.

He felt the older man pull him in a little tighter, “Aye.”

They broke apart and headed towards Chibs’s room, and whatever state Ella was in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've enjoyed!


	8. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While back in the main clubhouse....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All the mistakes are mine.

Tig watched as Chibs left the room after dropping the adoption bombshell. The Doc was speechless for a minute, it was fun watching as her mouth kept trying to form words. He looked at Gemma, who was also enjoying Doc’s discomfort.

“She’s what?” The Doc’s voice was strained. With hurt or anger, he couldn’t tell. Didn’t really care. As long as she was upset, he was okay. While he had respected her once, for her medical skills and what she had done for the club, that respect was long gone. The way she had made her exit guaranteed that.

“His mother. When did you stop understanding English?” The derision in Gemma’s voice made him smile. Gemma was coming down from the high of Thomas’s return and getting down to brass tacks while Jax, Ella, and Chibs weren’t around.

“What do you mean his mother? I thought she was Chibs’s old lady.” The Doc glared at Gemma.

“She is. Doesn’t mean she can’t be my grandson’s mother. She adopted him like Chibs said.” Gemma rolled her eyes at him, as if to say ‘Can ya believe the stupidity?’ Then she looked back at the Doc. “And she’s a goddamned fantastic mother to Abel.”

The Doc narrowed her eyes at Gemma. “Then why is that bitch acting like she’s Jax’s old lady too?”

Before Gemma could answer, he stepped in. He knew what was goin’ on between the three of them. He’d had his suspicions for a while, but neither Jax nor Chibs would rise to the bait he laid for ‘em, so he’d waited ‘til the two of them were on a run and got Ella hammered, a sure way to get information out of her. And after that talk, as far as he was concerned, what was going on between the three of them was no one’s business, especially not the Doc’s. “She’s acting like Abel’s mom.” He laughed. “And if you’re thinkin’ about how we treat her like we treat Gem? She’s Chibs’s old lady.” He laughed harder. “Ya met the last one. That man doesn’t do tame. Or stupid.”

He looked at Gemma, who gave him a slight nod, approving how he had handled it. He knew that Gemma had figured something out, he just didn’t know what. Even with all of the looks the two of them had exchanged during the last year and half over the three of them, he and Gemma had never talked about it, just silently agreed to keep their secret.

“So she beat the shit out of me just because of Abel?” Tara asked pointedly.

He shrugged. “Yeah.” Then he stalked over to her, making her back away, fear evident in her eyes. “You really fucked that boy up. Who in the fuck do ya think put the kid back together? Gem? Jax? She was too busy grieving the loss of another Thomas. He was too busy grieving the loss of his son and his wife.” He leaned into her. “La did. To say she has anger issues with you is like saying I like pussy.” He chuckled as the Doc blanched. “Just an obvious fact.”

The Doc squirmed past him and went to sit at one of the tables, giving both he and Gemma a sullen look.

He walked over to Gemma, putting an arm around her waist, and the three of them waited in tense silence for the other three to come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you've enjoyed! All comments, concerns, and constructive criticism welcome.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chibs, Ella, and Jax make a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Ella could hear the two of them coming down the hall. While she had managed to get out of her bloody pants and long sleeved t-shirt, she had yet to put on the clean jeans and sweater that she had come to Filip’s room for. She was just sitting in the chair at his desk in her tank top and panties, smoking a cigarette, trying to calm down. 

Filip and Jackson came in, and she looked up at them both. “Yeah. I’m working on that whole getting dressed thing.”

Jackson gave her a look that was filled with so many different emotions that it made her dizzy. “Ella…” His tone was almost plaintive, and right now she knew how close to the edge she was still dancing, so she gave Filip a slight glance.

As always, that man read her like a book. “What’s the plan, luv. I’m sure ye’ve got one.” Filip put a steadying hand on Jackson’s back, trying to let him know that they would deal with what happened back in his room, later.

She smiled at Filip briefly, grabbing the jeans from the edge of the bed and shimmying into them. “As much as I loathe saying this, Abel needs to see her. Needs to be able to tell her exactly how she made him feel, how much she hurt him. He deserves that.” Then she looked at them both, feeling her eyes grow darker. “And it happens at the house, where Abel and Thomas can play,” a small smile passes her lips, “and Tara sees the life that was built without her, and how happy Thomas would be in it.”

Jackson nodded. She knew that he would agree, it really was the only thing that made sense. “Yeah.” He handed her the sweater. “Plus, we probably shouldn’t do this in public.”

When she got her sweater on, Filip put an arm around her. “Why don’t ye and Jackie go get Abel and bring the lad home. We’ll give ye twenty minutes and then me and the Doc will head over. Maybe have Gemma bring Thomas a bit later, give Abel a chance to get the anger out without his brother seein’ it.”

Both she and Jackson nodded. It made sense to her, until they knew what was really going on, why Tara really came back, they would need to be careful with Thomas. Tara was all the boy had for the last two years, so she was sure he would be protective of his mother.

She grabbed Jackson’s hand, holding it tight, trying to show him that she wasn’t upset with him. “Let’s go tell the stupid bitch what will be happening, and if she doesn’t like it, oh well. This is the only way she sees Abel.”

Jackson squeezed her hand back. “Yeah.”

Filip put an arm around each of them. “No use putting it off any longer. Plus, we should get back, God only knows what’s goin’ on down there.”

She laughed. “Oh between Tig and Gemma, I’m sure Tara is being treated with the finest hospitality.”

Both Filip and Jackson chuckled as the three of them made their way back to the main room of the clubhouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you've enjoyed. All comments, concerns, and constructive criticism welcome.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tara is informed of how the rest of the afternoon will proceed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As ever, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Tara sat waiting for Jax to come back from his little meeting with Ella and Chibs. She was still trying to deal with the news that Ella was Abel’s adopted mother. In Abel’s first five years she had never managed that. She wondered how they got Wendy to sign off on it. Jax probably threatened her again, because that’s how he deals with Wendy. Threats and violence.

She knew that none of them believed her reason for coming back. Not that she had expected them to. But she was hoping to get their help without having to explain Brent. She just hoped that Thomas wouldn’t say anything. She had tried to explain to her son that talking about Brent would just upset his Daddy and that would be a bad thing. She didn’t bother telling her son that the only two people it would be bad for would be her and Brent.

She could feel Gemma and Tig watching her, she didn’t care. She was trying to get her bearings while the others were out of the room. With Ella in the room, she didn’t get much of a chance to think. The woman was smart, probably smarter than she was. She tried to remember what little Jax had told her of the older woman two years ago when she got out of jail. She had been a music writer in England for twenty years. It wasn’t what she had gone to school for, she did remember that. That she had divorced well at one point. And had come to Charming to open a used and rare music and book store.

The one interaction she had with Ella before she left with Thomas had given her the impression of a smart, capable woman, with a wicked sense of humor to go with the sarcastic tongue. A good match for Chibs. She had also noticed how comfortable both Abel and Thomas were with her, how comfortable they were in her home.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the three of them coming back into the room. She looked at Jax, who looked away from her. She wasn’t proud of it, but she came back because she had thought regardless of how she left, Jax would still love her, still save her, he always had. That seemed to be a thing of the past. She noticed him giving small glances to Chibs and Ella. What the fuck was going on with the three of them?

Ella came and stood in front of her, changed into a pair of black skinny jeans and a taupe off the shoulder sweater, and instead of the Converse Ella had been wearing while beating the crap out of her, she was wearing a pair of motorcycle boots. She tried giving the woman a hard look.

Ella rolled her eyes. “Look, we’ve established that I can kick your ass any time I choose to, so let go of the fucking attitude.” Ella gave her a dangerous smile. “Because it’s working out so well for you. I’m going to set a couple of things straight. First, the way you left? That kind of means you don’t get to dictate a fucking thing. Secondly, what I say, goes. Period. You want to see Abel? Fine. You see him at our house. You will follow Filip there while Jackson and I go get Abel. Gemma will bring Thomas a little later. Abel deserves a go at you without having to worry about his baby brother. Which he would. In fact, still does.” 

She sat there dumbfounded for a moment, not believing that the Jax she knew would let someone else take control like this. “I don’t know…” She didn’t like the idea of Gemma being alone with Thomas for that long. Who knows what she would get out of him. 

Ella rolled her eyes. “Then you don’t want to see Abel. It’s as simple as that. I am not letting my son have his pain put on public display. And the last time I checked, you were the adult, you get to suck shit up and do stuff you don’t want to. Kind of the definition of adult, don’t you think? So, it’s on you. But Thomas is coming over regardless, that needs to be private for the boy’s sakes too.” Ella went and sat by Chibs, lighting a cigarette, waiting for her answer.

She looked at all of them, not a friendly face in the bunch. She had thought maybe Tig, who had always been nice to her, might be an ally, but it looked like Ella had entrenched herself in the SAMCRO world. She heaved a sigh. “Fine. If that’s the only way I can see Abel, then I guess that’s what I have to do.”

Jax barely looked at her. “Okay. Me and Ella are going to go get Abel, explain what’s going on, because he’s not a huge fan of surprises.” She watched as he looked over at Ella. “Kinda like his Mama.”

She watched as Jax went and whispered something in his mother’s ear. Gemma smiled and patted her son’s cheek. Ella gave Chibs a quick kiss, then walked over, getting a hug from Gemma, who whispered something to Ella, making her laugh. Ella gave Tig a fist bump as her and Jax walked past him to leave to go get Abel.

After they left Chibs walked over to her. “You remember the Mitchell house?”

She felt her eyes widen, she had hung out with Amy Mitchell in high school. Her parents had a huge house on a cul-de-sac a few blocks from Gemma. When the Mitchell’s had bought the lot to build the house on, they had bought the lots on either side to ensure privacy. The back yard was huge, with a pool, hot tub, fire pit, and a huge patio to host outdoor parties. It was a place that whenever she walked in she was always aware of how much she didn’t have as a teen. “Yeah. Why?”

Chibs laughed. “Ours now. Ella decided about a year ago that a bigger space was needed. She liked the house, Abel liked the pool and back yard. I liked that it made my girl smile.” 

“And Jax? How did he feel about it?” She was trying to fish for information. 

Chibs shrugged. “Abel was happy, that makes his Da happy.” He looked at her, his eyes letting her know that he wasn’t going to give her what she was looking for. “We’ll leave in about ten minutes or so. Give Ella and Jackie some time with the lad.” He wondered out of the clubhouse with Tig, talking club business.

She sat there for a minute, feeling Gemma’s eyes on her. “Spit it out Gemma. I know you’ve got something to say.”

Gemma laughed. It was not a pleasant sound. “Whatever your little plan is sweetie, I’d be careful. La is scary smart, and if she figures ya out before ya spill the truth…” Gemma chuckled again. “Well…this afternoon will look like play time. And by the time she’s done, you won’t have a goddamned thing left.”

Tara looked for the hyperbole in Gemma’s eyes and found none. She pondered Gemma’s championing of Ella. “Why do you like her so much? Looks like she’s got you out of the loop.” Trying to bait the older woman.

“Me? Out of the loop?” Gemma laughed again. “Not a chance honey. Abel spends at least one night a week at my house. Ella’s grandparents helped raise her and her brother, so as far as she’s concerned, I’m an ‘integral part of having a happy and whole child’, her words, not mine.” Gemma gave her hard look. “If I were you, I’d be careful around her. She’s far more observant than she seems. Kinda like Chibs.”

She nodded. As she sat there for a while taking in what Gemma had just told her, Chibs stuck his head in the door. “We should get goin’.” He looked at Gemma. “Gem, bring Thomas in about an hour, okay?”

Gemma nodded. “Will do sweetheart. We’ll see you guys in a bit.”

He nodded at Gemma as Tara walked past him to her car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you're enjoying it. I welcome all comments, concerns and constructive criticism.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax and Ella have a little talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes found within are mine alone.

Ella had made it clear when they got in her Range Rover that she still wasn’t talking. She lit another cigarette and turned up the stereo. While he recognized it as a song that she and Abel liked, he had no idea who it was, he rarely ever did. He glanced over while he was driving to her shop, she was smoking, her eyes closed, her head leaning on the window. Her classic thinking pose. She once told him if she tried to really think with her eyes open, she got distracted.

It bothered him that she wouldn’t talk to him about what she was feeling. He knew that she would, eventually, but with everything going on with Tara and Thomas, he felt like this was something that needed to be talked about right away, because to deal with this, they had to be good. Otherwise it was just going to be miserable, and Abel would pick up on it.

They got to the shop, and as he looked in the window, he could see Abel dancin’ around like a mad man with Ella’s best friend and business partner, Twink. His real name was Will, but Twink fit far better. To say the man was gay was putting it mildly. Put the man in the right clothes and stuff a bra, he would be a British version of Venus Van Damme. Like Ella told Twink regularly, she’s more masculine than he is, to which Twink vehemently agreed. But he was actually a pretty savvy business man who had the book expertise that made up the bulk of their profit margin. Plus he was good with Abel, and Abel adored him. 

“He looks happy.” Ella’s voice was soft, making what little accent she picked up while living in the UK, stand out. “Too bad we’re going to send him on an emotional rollercoaster ride.”

He nodded. “Yeah.” Then biting the bullet. “Care to explain yours?”

She gave him a tired smile. “We’re going to do this now, aren’t we?”

He nodded again, and then took her hand. “Yeah. We are. Before we go in.”

She made a face at him. He tried and failed not to laugh. “Still going to talk about this. Make all the faces you want.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. I beat the crap out of Tara because, well…I lost it.” She took a deep breath and looked out the window, away from him. “I just wanted her gone. If she’s not here, she can’t fuck you and Abel up again.” She turned and looked at him, her jaw clenched. “And if she does? What if I can’t fix that again?” She took another deep breath. “And that scares the hell out of me. I mean, I can protect Abel, keep her away from him. But you?” She gave him a fleeting smile. “Can’t protect you too much. For a lot of reasons.”

He squeezed her hand, being careful of her wrist. “I love the fact that you want to protect me, but, not necessary darlin’.” He smiled at her. “Not the same man I was two years ago. Met this smart woman, she made me smarter.” She snorted. He continued. “Tara can’t fuck me and Abel up again. She has nothing that we want or need, other than Thomas.” 

He looked around, there was no one outside paying any attention. He leaned over and gave her a kiss. “And once we get a chance to figure out what the hell really brought her back, we can figure out how to get Thomas home where he belongs.”

Her eyes, gray as a Glasgow sky, as Chibs would say, lit up. “Damn straight.” She smiled at him. “Let’s go start Abel on his rollercoaster ride.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Hope you're enjoying. I welcome all comments, concerns, and constructive criticism.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax and Ella break the news that Tara's back to Abel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

When they walked in the store, some sort of dance music was blaring, Jax turned and looked at Ella. She shrugged. “What?! It’s Dance Party Wednesday. Twenty percent off of electronica and dance music.” She laughed at the look on his face. “Plus it’s fun.” As she started dancing along with the music. He did what he usually did in situations like this with her. Laugh and shook his head. Sometimes he really wondered about how someone like her could love someone like him.

Abel came running over, plowing into his legs. “Dad! You’re back!” Giving his dad a big hug. He hugged his son back. Maybe it was the age difference, but Abel seemed far more solid than Thomas.

“Hey buddy. How was your day?” He figured stay as normal as possible until they dropped the bomb.

“It was good. I had a test in math. Mama says if I miss three questions or less when I get it back on Monday, we can have pizza!” Abel smiled at just the thought of pizza, he was sure.

“That sounds good buddy, but why do you have to wait ‘til Monday? I thought Miss Worthington got tests back to you the next day?” He had the feeling he was forgetting something.

Abel laughed. “Today was the last day this week! We have what she called ‘fall break’. No school ‘til Monday!” Abel did what Ella referred to as ‘the dance of joy, seven year old style’. To him it looked like Abel jumping around in a circle.

He laughed. “Sorry buddy, I forgot. For some reason I thought that was next week.”

Abel shook his head. “No. This week.” He smiled at his dad. “You need a better calendar.”

Ella’s phone rang. She looked at it. “Bobby. Hmm.” She answered. “Yes Elvis? You’re in the building, on speaker.”

Bobby chuckled. “Got it. Just a quick question. Gemma asked me to call. We still doin’ dinner? Gemma wasn’t sure with everything.”

He looked at Ella and shrugged, putting it back on her. She stuck her tongue out at him, making Abel laugh. “Mama! I get in trouble when I stick my tongue out at Dad, how come you can do it?”

Bobby started to laugh. “Yeah Mama. So, ya got an answer for me?”

Ella smiled, it was the smile that said she had a plan. “Yep. We are. We’re just gonna push it back by an hour, which, since kids are out for the rest of the week, doesn’t screw up bedtimes. I think it will be educational for some. Plus steaks have been marinating since ten this morning.”

Both he and Bobby chuckled. “I’m sure it will be. I’ll let everyone know. Good luck. We’ll see you later.” He hung up.

After putting her cel away, Twink came up to the three of them. Ella hugged him. “Thanks for getting Abel from school. He was good,” she looked at their son, “right?”

Abel looked unconcerned, like Twink would say anything different. Twink smiled, “Of course he was. Always is.” He ruffled Abel’s short hair. “And it was my pleasure to go get him. Since he’s been back in school, it feels like I hardly see him.” Then Twink looked at Ella. “Did we decide on a fashion change for the day? From skater girl to biker queen?” Twink gave Ella a look that said he expected answers. And soon.

Ella smiled at him. “Had a spill. Tell you about it at dinner later.” She took Abel’s hand. “But right now Jackson and I need to talk to Abel in the office, and then we’re leaving.” 

Twink nodded. “Alright, but there had better be a bloody good story to all of this.” Gesturing at the clothing change.

He answered for Ella. “Twink. You have no idea.”

She laughed. “What he said.” She started leading Abel towards the office.

Once they were inside and he had closed the door, Ella sat Abel on the couch. “I’m sure that you were wondering why Twink picked you from school.”

Abel nodded. “I thought it was weird, but Twink said that Grandma needed you at the garage for something.” He started to get a fearful look in his eye. “Is everyone okay?”

She hugged him. “God yes, honey!” She kissed Abel’s head. “Sorry to scare you like that.” Pulling away she looked at her son, her face serious. “Someone came to the lot and your Grandma thought I should come see what they wanted.”

Abel looked at both of them. He was a smart enough kid that he knew something big had happened. “Who came to the clubhouse?” Jax looked at Ella, who just gave him a look that said ‘my kid is not an idiot’.

He took a deep breath and looked at Abel. “Tara and Thomas.” 

Abel looked at him and then at Ella like they had grown extra heads. “What?”

Ella pulled him onto her lap. “Tara and Thomas, honey.” She hugged her son. “And Mama is going to be honest, I was really angry when I saw Tara, so…”

Abel looked at her, interrupting. “I hope you beat her up Mama.” He waited for one of them to tell him that wanting to beat someone up was wrong. Jax laughed to himself. Abel would be waiting forever for one of them to admit beating the crap out of Tara was wrong. “I know I shouldn’t, but I do! She took my brother away!” He ended, yelling.

Jax went and put his arms around the both of them. “I know buddy. She did. And I understand why you’re mad. But you still shouldn’t beat people up.”

Abel noticed the bandages on Ella’s wrists. “Mama, why do you have bandages on?”

Ella looked at Abel, a bit chagrined. “It goes back to that really angry part. I did try to beat Tara up. And I wouldn’t calm down, so Uncle Tig had to…” If it hadn’t been so serious, he would have been on the floor laughing at the look on her face. As far as Ella was concerned, the worst punishment for losing her temper with Tara, was happening. Having to explain to Abel. She’d have taken jail over telling Abel. “Well honey,” she finished in a rush, “Uncle Tig had to tie Mama to a chair until Uncle Chibs could come untie me.”

Abel gawked at her. “Wow. You got that mad?” And he could see the wheels in Abel’s brain turning. “Uncle Tig put you in time out? He can do that? To you?” Their son's voice full of awe at the idea that someone could put Mama in time out.

At this point he lost his battle with not laughing, he couldn’t help it, what Abel had said was funny. “Kind of buddy. That’s why he had to tie her to the chair. Mama wouldn’t stay in time out.” He continued to laugh. After the last hour, he needed it.

Ella gave him a not so discreet elbow. “Hey. Heckle and Jeckle. While I’m always happy to see both of you laugh, even at my expense, unfortunately, we have important things to talk about.”

Abel looked at her. “Am I gonna get to see Thomas?” He was happy to see that Abel looked pleased at that prospect.

He rubbed Abel’s back. “Yeah buddy, you are. But Mama and I thought that maybe you should see Tara first.”

Abel shrunk away from both of them. “No! I hate her!”

Ella pulled him back to her. “And I think you should tell her that.” She cupped Abel’s face in her hands, so she could look into his eyes. “Remember how much better you felt when you told Wendy how she made you feel? How it felt like you got ugly stuff out of you?” 

Abel sat there quietly for a minute. “Yes.”

Ella smiled softly. “Wouldn’t you like to get all of the ugly stuff about Tara out of you?”

Another minute. Jax thought his heart would explode. “Yes.” Even quieter than the first one.

As he went to hug Abel, the boy threw himself into Ella’s arms. Couldn’t say he really blamed Abel, in his shoes, he probably would have done the same thing. So he settled for holding them both again. “Uncle Chibs is going to bring Tara to the house so you can talk to her where you’re comfortable. Then a little later Grandma is gonna bring Thomas to see you. Okay?”

Abel nodded into Ella’s chest. She wrapped her arms around Abel a little tighter and started to rock him lightly. “Do you need a minute honey?” 

Abel nodded again. So the two of them sat there, with their arms wrapped around their son, until he felt he was ready to go face his former mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! I welcome all comments, concerns and constructive criticism.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abel gets the "bad stuff" about Tara out of his system. In true Teller fashion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

When Chibs unlocked the door of the house, after the dog barking, the first thing he noticed was that the alarm hadn’t been set, and he could hear music coming from the kitchen. Whatever Gemma said to Ella when she had called about Tara being back certainly lit a fire under their girl. Looks like she just up and left.

The little black and white dog was jumping at his feet and barking at Tara at the same time. He walked through the front room, dining room, and the kitchen. “C’mon ye little runt, out ye go. No need to hear ye yap at her.” The dog ran out of the house as he turned the volume down on Ella’s laptop where the music was coming from. He wasn’t going to mess with her laptop other than that, he wasn’t exactly computer literate. That was Juicy boy’s job.

Tara raised an eyebrow at him. “A lapdog?”

He turned to her, trying to be somewhat civil. He was in the same boat as Ella. Tara dead wasn’t the worst idea ever. But, like Ella, he would settle for her gone. “Abel picked him. Last Christmas.” He smiled at the memory. “Boy is actually good about the responsibility. Only thing he doesn’t do is give the pup a bath.” He chuckled. “First one was a disaster.” 

Tara looked as if he had stabbed her with his nugget of domesticity. Good. He did not want her to feel at ease at any point. He wanted her on edge. Something really big and bad brought her back to their doorstep, and she was fuckin’ cracked if she didn’t think they wouldn’t ferret the information out of her.

“How long until they get here?” Tara tried to sound demanding. 

He chuckled, deciding to call her bluff a bit. “Don’t know. Depends on the lad I suppose.” He stood away from the counter he had been leaning on, and walked to the fridge, by where she was standing. “And I think after two years, ye could wait fifteen, twenty minutes.” He opened the fridge and grabbed a beer. He looked at Tara. “Beer?” 

She shook her head.

He opened his, throwing the cap in the trash under the sink. “Ye may want to rethink that Doc. Ye may want to fortify yerself, Abel has spent the last two and a half years with Ella. He’s got a hell of a vocabulary, and knows how to use it.” He chuckled again. “And I guarantee ye Ella has told the lad to have at it. Get it all out.”

Tara’s eyes narrowed. “I’m sure he’ll say nothing I haven’t already said to myself.”

Ah, there it was, the martyr card. Don’t worry about trying to punish me, I’ve done it myself. She must have forgotten he was Catholic, martyr shit doesn’t work so well. “I doubt it.”

Before Tara could say anything, they both heard the front door open. He walked out to the front room, Tara behind him. Jackie was first in the door, with Abel holding his Mama’s hand bringing up the rear. He nodded at Jackie as he took a seat at the dining room table, giving the others a bit of space, but close enough in case he was needed.

He watched as the lad stood there, staring at Tara, holding his Mama’s hand so tightly, he could see that Abel’s knuckles were white.

Tara broke the silence. “Abel.”

Chibs nearly choked on his beer when Abel let go of Ella’s hand and launched himself at Tara, his little fists flying. It was one of those moments, not as rare as one would think, that he was hard pressed not to look at Abel and think he was the product of Jackie and Ella. Another argument between nature and nurture as their girl would say. 

He wasn’t shocked when neither Jackie nor their girl tried to stop Abel from beating on Tara. He really couldn’t do much more than make the injuries Tara already had hurt even more than they already did. He thought that was fair.

As the boy was hitting Tara he was screaming at her about taking away his brother, how she had hurt him and his daddy, how much he hated her, and then the part that broke his heart, the part that proved him right when he doubted Tara’s self-punishment. Abel was still trying to land fists on her, the screams and sobs making his throat raw. “Why?! What did I do wrong!? Was I bad because Wendy was bad?” Abel’s voice was finally giving out. “Why!?” As if anyone could imagine a seven year old screaming that at them.

When Tara went to hug the lad, he shoved her, hard, making her fall back onto the floor. Then he ran to his Mama, nearly taking Ella to the floor as she caught him. Before he could get up from the dining room table, Jackie had caught both Ella and Abel, gently leading them to the floor, putting his arms around the two of them. Once there, Ella gathered her boy into her lap as Abel sobbed into her chest. She rocked him while murmuring into the lad’s ear. After a few minutes, Abel stopped sobbing. 

Tara finally spoke. “Abel I’m sorry. You didn’t do anything wrong. I made bad decisions.” Chibs nearly laughed. There was an understatement. 

Abel said nothing, lad wouldn’t even look at her. Ella leaned down to her boy. “Honey? Do you have anything else you want to say? You’re the one in control here. If you’re done, we’ll just wait for Grandma to bring Thomas. Okay?”

He looked over at Jackie, who looked like hell. Between the worry for Abel and Thomas, and the anger at Tara, he supposed they all looked like that. While Tara had her back to him, he gave Jackie a nod, telling him that it would be alright, that the three of them would handle this together. Jackie gave him a slight nod in return.

Finally the lad spoke. “Wait for Grandma.”

Ella gave the lad a kiss on the head. “Sounds like a plan.” As she looked at him, he could see the questions in her eyes.

He looked over at the clock. Four fifteen. “They should be here in about fifteen minutes.” He stood up and walked over to the pile of humanity that was Jackie, Ella, and Abel. He put out his hand. “C’mon lad, why don’t we go get your face cleaned up before they get here. Plus, Pup was lookin’ for ye when I came home, ye should probably go check on him.”

He was trying to give Ella and Jackie the space Ella wanted to work on Tara until Gemma brought Thomas. Abel took his hand. “Okay.” As he lifted the lad to take him to clean up his tear stained face, the boy gave him a little smile. “Do you think Pup will like Thomas?” The boy’s voice was rough from the tears and screams.

He chuckled as he hugged the lad to him. “I’m sure he will, lad. As far as I can tell, Pup likes everyone.” He watched Jackie help their girl from up off the floor.

It made his heart feel a little better to hear Abel laugh. “Yeah. He does. Pup is a good dog.”

Hugging him again, Chibs whispered in Abel’s ear. “He is. Just like you’re a good lad.”

Abel’s only response was to wrap his arms around his neck a little tighter as they made their way into the bathroom that Abel and his Da shared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. I welcome all comments, concerns, and constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to all of the lovelies that left kudos! They're better than chocolate (although not as good as coffee lol)!


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ella lets Tara know where she stands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> With the "custody" issue, I'm totally flying by the seat of my pants. You've been warned.

After she watched Filip take Abel to go get cleaned up and check on Pup, she wiped her eyes and turned to Tara. “You’ve seen Abel. Now unless he talks to you, you don’t talk to him. At all. Do you understand me?”

Tara glared at her, thinking she was intimidating. “I think I should remind you that if you want to see Thomas, maybe you should at least treat me with a modicum of respect.” Looked like Tara wanted to remind her that she wasn't the only educated woman in the room. Okay, that was fine. They could play this game.

She looked over at Jackson, who with the look he gave her told her that this was her show. He would back whatever plays she made. She nodded, grateful that she had had the foresight to call her attorney in San Francisco, getting him into this, hopefully he would call back soon. With good news.

She looked at Tara critically for the first time. Since all she really knew of the woman was the information from others and the pictures she had seen from when Abel was an infant. Tara looked haggard, like she had been living hard for a while. She had also noticed how slight Thomas was when she saw him in the garage office. Tara also looked like she was trying her damnedest to hide something. The woman was jittery and startled easily. Then again, being physically attacked twice in a day can have that effect. Tara also looked like she had finally gotten her over a barrel. Not bloody likely.

She shrugged at Tara. “What’s the old adage? Respect is earned, not given.” She chuckled, glancing over at Jackson, who had a slight smile on his face. “And you have done absolutely nothing to earn my respect, while you have done a multitude of things to earn my derision.” Reaching over to Jackson, she pulled his cigarettes out of the inside pocket of his cut, took one out and lit it, blowing the smoke towards Tara. She knew it was juvenile, but it still felt good.

She continued on. “And for all of that custody talk?” She smirked at Tara. “I’m waiting for my attorney to call me back. See, at the very moment my adoption of Abel was legal, my attorney filed a motion on his behalf to be allowed to see his half-brother.” She could feel her smirk growing into a grin. “And since the courts couldn’t find you? The judge ruled in absentia. Against you.” She laughed. “I’m just waiting for Jonathan to call to tell me what I need to do to have the ruling enforced.”

Tara stood there dumbfounded. The woman looked at Jackson. He barely looked at Tara, instead giving her a wide smile. 

“How?” Tara sputtered. Looks like the woman hadn’t thought of all of the conclusions to her coming back.

“I know this has been explained to you a couple of times, but I’ll go through it one more time.” She was speaking to Tara as if the woman was bone stupid. “Before Wendy left Cali for good, she signed papers allowing me to adopt Abel. So that’s what I did. Abel now has a birth certificate listing Jackson and I as his parents.” She smiled, this is where it got good. “When I adopted Abel, as his mother, I could file a motion on his behalf, for him to be allowed to see his brother. And even though you think you have complete custody, you didn’t read the wording of the custody part very well. Even though you do have custody, Lowen left a visitation loophole, because she wasn't stupid and didn't want SAMCRO as an enemy. The loophole states that at least once a year you will make arrangements for Jackson and Abel to see Thomas.” She smiled brightly at Tara. “My attorney is good. Very good. And he found it and used it. All I needed was for you to show your face, with Thomas in tow.”

She grinned and winked at Jackson, who looked almost as dumbfounded as Tara. He had known that she was trying legal maneuvers to get Thomas back, but he didn’t know the specifics, he hadn’t thought it would work. She almost laughed. At this point he should really stop doubting her abilities.

Finally she did just laugh. Tara looked at her like she was an alien. “Yeah.” She took another drag of her cigarette. “Maybe you should have stayed around a little longer, you would have figured out that I am not a woman you want as an enemy. You look at me like I’m Gemma the Younger. Oh, dearie,” she gave another laugh, she just couldn't help herself. “I am a whole different animal. I’m highly educated, even more so than you, with a shit ton of money, and when I do take advantage of them, connections that would make you cry. Because they’re all aboveboard.” She walked over to Tara, and leaned in close. “And when I find out what brought you back, I’ll use every single one of them to get Thomas where he belongs.” Then softly in the younger woman’s ear. “Here, with us. And you, nowhere to be found.”

Before she could say anything else, she could hear a car pull up in the driveway. Jackson looked out the window. “Mom and Thomas.” He made his way to the back yard. “I’ll go get little man.”

She looked over at Tara. “If you do anything I don’t like, you won’t like how it ends. And I’m going to say this once. Gemma gets shown respect in my house. Don’t care about your history, don’t care what you think she’s done to you. She is my son’s grandmother, and that means something to me. Got it?”

Tara nodded. She nodded back. “Good. Maybe you’re not as stupid as I think.”

Jackson and Fillip came back in with Abel and Pup. Pup started to bark at Tara. Abel tapped Pup on his butt. “No barking Pup.” The dog stopped. Tara looked at her.

She shrugged. “Pup is Abel’s dog. Abel went to obedience class with him. He follows Abel’s instructions.” Then with a slight grin. “The rest of us, hit and miss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. I welcome all comments, concerns, and constructive criticism.
> 
> Big, huge, Opie sized thanks to all of the lovelies that have left kudos! You make a girl feel fabulous.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reunion between brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

As he stood there waiting, Jax felt like the air was being sucked out of the room. They all seemed to be holding their breath until his Mom brought Thomas into the house.

While the two of them stood there in the doorway, Thomas looking around wide eyed, Abel slowly made his way over to his baby brother, Pup on his heels.

When Abel stopped in front of his brother, Thomas looked at him like he was seeing a mirage. He thought his heart would shatter at the small tone to Thomas’s voice when he reached out and touched Abel lightly on his chest. “Abel?”

Abel, who was already crying behind his smile, reached out for his brother’s hand. “Yeah. It’s me.” Holding Thomas’s hand, Abel looked down at Thomas. “And this is Pup. He wants to say hi, too.”

He could hear a small sob from Ella, who was standing behind him. He reached back, grabbing her hand, pulling her to his side. She put an arm around his waist, not hiding her tears at all. Chibs came and stood on Ella’s other side, putting an arm around her. 

He saw the look that Tara gave them as they stood there watching the boys pet Pup. He didn’t fucking care anymore. Tara was free to think what she wanted. He was now positive that whatever brought her back was catastrophic. She had given in to Ella way too easily, even before Ella had informed Tara of who she was actually dealing with. 

While the boys were still petting Pup, Ella’s cel phone went off. She pulled it out, looking down at it. “Jonathan.” She looked at him. “Stay here with the boys, I’ll take this upstairs in my office.” She looked at his Mom. “Gemma, why don’t you come with me.” Then she looked at Chibs. “Why don’t you show Tara around the back yard. Give the Teller boys a chance to spend a little time alone.”

He looked at the gentle smile on her face. He tried to convey how grateful he was with a look. For both her and Chibs.

Chibs gave him a slight smile as he led Tara to the back. Ella leaned down and gave both boys quick kisses on their heads before heading with Gemma to her office.

After they left, he went and joined the boys on the floor with Pup. Putting an arm around Thomas, he smiled at his son, who seemed to enjoy petting the dog. “You like Pup, huh?”

Thomas smiled at him. “Yeah. He is a nice dog. He didn’t bark at me. Or bite me.” Thomas looked at Abel. “What is his name?”

Abel looked a little embarrassed. “Pup. He won’t come to any other name. I tried to name him Yoda, ‘cause he has ears like Yoda, but he wouldn’t answer to it. Uncle Chibs says I waited too long.”

Thomas laughed. And once Thomas started to laugh, so did Abel. He thought it once of the best sounds he had ever heard, and couldn’t resist joining them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. I welcome all comments, concerns, and constructive criticism.
> 
> Thanks to all who have left kudos!


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ella and Gemma chat with the lawyer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

The second she and La left the front room, La answered her phone. “Hold on Jonathan. Let me and Gem get up to my office, so I can put you on speaker.”

Once they were in the office La hit a button on her phone. “Jonathan. Tell me that I can kick Tara out on the street and keep Thomas here.”

“Hate to say it Eleanor.” Gemma smiled at the use of La’s full name as the younger woman rolled her eyes. “No. To enforce the court order, you need to call the sheriff, and unfortunately, they’ll take Thomas into custody until another hearing can be called. I’ve got word into the court that Tara has surfaced, and we would like a hearing convened. I’m waiting to hear back from the judge’s clerk for a court date and time.” He sighed. “And before you ask, I’ve already explained to the clerk the urgency of the situation. It would help if we knew what has gone on with the two of them over the last two years.”

Gemma smiled at La and gestured to the phone. La nodded in a ‘have at it’ gesture. “Jonathan, Gemma Teller.”

The attorney chuckled. “Hello Gemma. What would your two cents be?”

“I’ve spent the last hour with Thomas, alone. No Tara around.” She looked at La carefully. This really wasn’t how she wanted this to come out.

“Yes? And?” Jonathan sounded cautious.

“And in that hour, not once did he ask for Tara, nor did he ask why his Mom looked like someone had beaten the crap out of her when he saw her before she left the lot to come see Abel.” For Gemma these things seemed like they might be important. By the look on La’s face, she could see that the younger woman thought so also.

“Why would Tara look like someone beat the crap out of her?” They could hear papers shuffling. “Which one of the four of you beat Tara up?”

La grinned at her. She couldn’t help but grin back. While at one point she had looked at Tara as a daughter, she had never looked at La that way. She had always felt far more sisterly towards La, more like equals. La looked at the phone. “That would be me.”

He chuckled again. “Of course, silly of me to even ask. Did you notice anything else Gemma?”

She thought about it for a moment. “He seems really thin, but that might just be his build.” She thought a bit more. “Well…a customer, a yuppie lookin’ guy with short dark hair came in to pick up his car, and Thomas started to shake when he first saw the guy from the back. But once he turned around, Thomas calmed down.”

La looked at her darkly. “Started shaking how? Like he was scared, or just anxious about a stranger?”

Gemma shrugged. “Don’t know sweetie. It happened so fast, at first I wasn’t even sure I saw it.” She looked at La seriously. “But don’t you think it’s a little strange that he wouldn’t even ask for his Mom?”

La nodded. “A little. But who knows? I didn’t think he would know who any of us were, and he does, so maybe he didn’t ask for her because he was with you?” She shook her head. “I’ve gotta talk with Thomas. Alone. After he feels comfortable.”

Jonathan interrupted, his voice full of humor. “Ladies…let’s remember how much Eleanor pays me an hour.” His voice became serious. “Be careful with the whole talking to Thomas thing. You don’t want Tara to accuse you of coercing the boy to say bad things about her.” They could hear more papers. “My advice. Play nice with Tara until we can get a court date set. And don’t worry, I’m working on a way for Thomas to stay where he belongs. I probably won’t hear from the clerk until morning. I’ll call as soon as I know anything.”

Both she and La nodded, La finishing the call. “Okay, I’ll try not to beat the crap out of her again. Call me as soon as you know anything. At any time.”

“Of course dear. I’ll talk to you in the morning.” He cleared his throat. “And Eleanor? I’m glad he’s there. I know it’s been hard without him, but we’ll get him home, for good.” The attorney hung up.

Gemma watched as the younger woman deflated, sitting on the love seat in the office, tears starting to fall. She sat down by her and put an arm around her. “Sweetheart, you’ve done all you can. Let the lawyer get into it.” She gave her a squeeze. “C’mon, tonight, let’s be happy that Thomas is home. We’ll worry about the rest tomorrow.” She got up, pulling La with her. “Let’s get back to our Teller boys.” She smiled a bit wickedly at the younger woman, deciding to have a little fun. “All three of them.”

La rolled her eyes at her. “Really? You want to do this now?”

Gemma laughed lightly. “Relax sweetheart. Known for a year and a half.” Laughing harder. “I really don’t give a fuck what three consenting adults do in the privacy of their own home.” Then giving La’s hand a slight squeeze. “My son and grandson are happy and whole. That’s all I care about.”

The look on La’s face was somewhere between being surprised and totally fuckin’ shocked. “Oookay.” Then La laughed. “Fuck. I’m not sure what I expected, but somehow I never pictured it being that easy. But after today, not going to argue with it.”

She looked at the clock on La’s desk. Five o’clock. “Well sweetie, even pushing dinner back to eight, we probably still have some work to do.”

She knew she shouldn’t have been surprised, but still was when La replied. “Not really. The potato and rice casseroles are ready, so is the Mac and Cheese for the kids, just need to go in the oven by six. And we won’t start the meat on the grill until everyone is here, same with the veggies.” She had to smile at the grin on La’s face. “And Bobby and I made dessert yesterday. One for the kids and one for big people who would like their dessert to fuck them up.”

Gemma grabbed her arm again, “La, I meant what I said. What happens here when it’s just you guys, is no one’s business. I just know it seems to make all of you happy. And that’s all I want. But Tara has noticed something going on, Tig tried to shut it down when she questioned it earlier, but after what just happened in the front room, I thought I should warn ya. ”

La gave her a grateful look. “I know Gemma. And I do appreciate it, appreciate all of the help you give me.” Laughing sarcastically. “Even when you drive me bat shit crazy. Let’s get back to the boy’s. I should let Filip and Jackson know what lawyer man said.”

Gemma nodded. “While I stay with the boys. That the plan, Tara is never allowed alone with them?”

La snickered. “One of them. But right, no leaving Tara alone with the boys. And she is not to talk to Abel unless he talks to her first.” Gemma had a feeling that had gone badly. The look on La’s face confirming it.

She sighed. “How bad?”

La grimaced. “He would be the second person in my family who has attacked Tara today.” She noticed the small smirk on La’s face. “Boy launched himself at her like he was a true Highlander.” The smirk disappeared. “Gem.” She could see the tears. “He literally screamed his throat raw asking her what he had done wrong. God, it was like right after she bolted and we had told him the truth.”

Gemma shuddered a little. Those were dark days for her, Jax, and Abel. She doesn’t let herself think of what might have happened had La and Chibs had not stepped up in so many different ways. Another reason she didn’t care about what went on in this house between the three of them. “That bad huh?”

As they left the office, La nodded. “Yeah. Remember for a while right after she left, if Abel got really upset, I was the only person he would let hold him? That happened.” 

She groaned. “This is such a fucking double edged sword.”

La gave a sarcastic laugh. “Yep.” Then La turned to her, a wry smile on her face. “Good thing we’re bad ass bitches who can handle anything. Otherwise, we’d be fucked.”

She chuckled appreciatively. “True.”

When they got back to the front room, it was empty. They looked at each other and then at the same time. “Back yard.”

When they reached the back yard, they could see both boys running around, Pup chasing them, tongue lolling. Jax and Chibs were sitting at one of the patio tables, each having a beer. Tara was sitting at a different table, hunched in on herself, watching the boys and the dog run around.

She watched as La went and leaned down between Jax and Chibs, telling them that she needed to talk to them. They both nodded and got up. As her son walked past her he stopped for a moment. “Keep an eye on them? Abel’s juice is in the blue cup and Thomas’s is in the red.”

She smiled and patted his shoulder. “Got it honey. You should go hear what La has to say.” She chuckled. “Should be enlightening.”

Before he could reply, she shoved him in the direction of the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it.
> 
> Thanks to those that have left kudos!


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ella fills Jax and Chibs in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes found are mine.

He walked into the house, following Chibs and Ella up to Ella’s office. When they got up there, he watched as Ella started rummaging through the drawers of her desk. “Aha! There it is.” She pulled out a small plastic container. When she opened it, both he and Chibs smiled at the smell of weed coming from it. He looked over, it was filled with rolled joints.

He laughed, he knew that she had a few of these stashed throughout the house. “This why you needed to talk to us?” He chuckled as she lit a joint and took a hit.

Blowing the smoke towards him as she passed the joint to Chibs, she gave a pained smile. “No, but this will help.” 

Chibs handed him the joint as he looked at Ella. “How bad?”

She sighed, it was a heavy sigh. “Well, we can’t kick Tara to the curb and keep Thomas.” She sat on the love seat. “Jonathan says I can call the sheriff and have the order enforced, but they’ll take Thomas into custody until the court hearing. So that’s out. He’s got word into the court and is waiting to hear from the judge’s clerk for a court date and time. His advice is to play nice with Tara until then.”

Chibs looked at her, dark eyes not happy. “Why would they take Thomas into custody?”

She looked as unhappy as he felt. “Probably because part of the motion that Jonathan filed may have given the impression that we feel since Tara was ignoring the visitation codicil, maybe something hinky was going on. They’d take Thomas into custody for evaluation.”

He sat on floor, his back leaning into the love seat. “So even though the judge ruled in our favor, if we try to enforce it, Thomas gets taken away.”

She ran her fingers through his hair, he closed his eyes, enjoying it for the moment. “Basically. Jonathan didn’t sound worried about what would happen once we get to court. He just felt that it would be better to keep Thomas out of the system. For all of us.”

Chibs nodded. “Then we play as nice as we’re capable of with Tara. For the boy’s sake.”

She took another hit from the joint. “Right. But we have a couple of advantages. One, Thomas is here, in this house. He doesn’t leave. Period. Tara can stay with Gemma or the clubhouse. Those are her options. Two, Tara is running from something so bad, she’s willing to come to us. That puts the power in our hands.”

He leaned his head on her knee. “And if that doesn’t work?”

He could hear the steel in her voice. “I’ll call the sheriff.” His back tensed. She moved down to the floor so she could look him in the eyes. Chibs joined them, moving between him and Ella. It was a prudent move. Both he and Ella had volatile tempers and in the past couple of years there had been a few times Chibs had to step in between them when they were right up in each others faces.

Ella looked at Chibs, and then him, trying to stay calm. “Something has happened in the last two years to Thomas. Gemma said he didn’t ask for Tara once after she left with Filip. And he didn’t say a word about Tara having the shit beat out of her. And according to Gem, he freaked out a little when some dark haired yuppie looking dude came to pick up his car. Guess he calmed down when the guy turned around so Thomas could see his face. Have you two noticed anything?”

He felt his jaw clench. “Other than how thin he is?” If his son had been hurt over the last two years, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop himself from killing Tara. He felt Chibs arm sneak around his waist, pulling him closer to them. “Since he’s been here at the house, he’s been playing with Abel and Pup, so he really hasn’t been interacting with her.”

Chibs shook his head. “But when the lad wanted something to drink, he didn’t go to his mum, he came to ye. Didn’t even look at Tara.”

Ella nodded, eyes closed, thinking again. “Well, start keeping track. If possible, write it down so we don’t forget. Jonathan did say knowing what has happened with them over the last two years would be helpful.”

Both he and Chibs nodded, it made sense. As they got up to go back to the boys, Ella laughed suddenly.

They both turned to her, confused. She gave them a semi-amused look. “On a lighter note?”

Chibs chuckled lightly as he pulled her into his arms. “There’s a lighter note to all this?”

He watched as she buried her face in Chibs’s jacket. He snickered, he had to agree with Chibs, other than Thomas actually being here, there was nothing light about today.

She pulled away, her face slightly red. “Kind of?” She gave them a wry smile. “Gemma told me she knows exactly what’s going on here. Doesn’t care, in fact,” she laughed a shocked laugh. “It’s all good in the hood with Gemma.”

He stood there, trying to get his mouth and brain on the same page. “What? Why would it even come up?”

Chibs stood there for a minute, and then started. “When Thomas came in the house.”

Ella nodded, her gray eyes large. “And the clubhouse. Only reason Gemma really said anything. Guess Tara questioned it there, and Tig shut it down immediately.” She looked at them both. “Then us in the living room, brought it back.”

Chibs looked at Ella, his dark eyes boring into her gray ones. “Why would Tig feel the need to shut it down? Knew he had figured something out. Had no idea he had sussed out the whole situation.” Still looking at Ella. “Or did someone tell him?”

He nearly laughed at the face she made. It was a combination of embarrassment, defiance, and uncertainty. “About a year and a half ago Tig may have gotten me shitfaced and then interrogated me.” She grimaced. “Really don’t remember, and all Tig would say was I got absolutely hammered and he dumped me in bed before passing out on the living room couch. He won’t tell me what I told him.” She grinned. “Been trying for a year and a half. Granted, not that hard, but still…”

Chibs paced the room. “Why are we only hearing this now?” While there wasn’t really anger in his voice, he certainly wasn’t thrilled. Jax watched with interest, very rarely were the two of them not on the same page.

She did look a bit abashed, but not much. “First of all, couldn’t remember. And anytime I asked Tig, he’d just say ‘no worries, doll’, and the two of you stopped complaining about him trying to bait you guys. So I figured that if I had said anything, it worked in our favor, and I was just gonna go with it.”

She took both he and Chibs’s hands. “Sorry. Some habits are hard to break. Me taking unilateral action being one of them.” She gave them both her A-game smile. “But I have gotten better over the last year and half.”

Chibs laughed. “I’ll give ye that, luv. But for future reference, we’d like to know about shit like that.”

She looked at him, he smiled at her. “To paraphrase Tig. No worries, darlin’. But did Mom happen to say how she knew?”

The smile left her face. A wondering look came across it. “No…she didn’t. Just said she figured it out.” She shook her head ruefully. “Between the conversation with Jonathan, and then when Gem dropped that, my brain just focused on the fact she was totally okay with it. I know at no point have I ever told Gemma.” Still shaking her head. “Fuck. Can’t believe I missed that.”

“Lotta stuff going on today. Not surprised you missed a little thing.” He laughed at her. “Guess we’ll forgive ya this time.”

Chibs chuckled with him. “What he said, luv. Guess we should go back out, check on the boys, Gem, and Tara.” Chibs looked at Ella. “What time is everyone coming over?”

She looked at the clock. Five thirty. “In about two, two and a half hours. We’ll go check on everyone, let Tara know of her lodging options, and hopefully enough time for all of us to take showers.”

Chibs put a hand on each he and Ella’s backs, directing them towards the door in the master bedroom that led outdoors to the deck off of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! I welcome all comments, concerns, and constructive criticism.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has left kudos, they mean a lot!


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abel and Thomas have a snack and some visitors arrive. (I really suck at summaries)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

When they got back to the others, Abel and Thomas came running up to Ella, Abel the spokesperson. “Mama, me and Thomas are hungry. Can we have a snack?” He smiled sadly as Thomas nodded silently, almost as if the boy had been afraid to ask.

Ella nodded, taking each boy by the hand. “Sure, but just a little one. We’ll have dinner in a couple of hours.” He followed them into the kitchen, just enjoying watching Thomas.

Abel directed Thomas into the breakfast nook in the kitchen. “Do you like raspberries and blueberries?”

Thomas gave a little shrug. “I don’t know.” He sounded so small, like he was afraid of answering. After making sure Thomas couldn’t see his face, he looked at Ella, who had also caught it. He frowned at her, she gave a small shake of the head as she came over.

She sat down by Thomas. “How about you try some, and then you’ll know. And if you don’t like them, we’ll find something else.” She pulled him closer to her. “I seem to remember that when you were a little guy, you liked peaches.”

He smiled with relief when Thomas smiled at her. “I still like peaches. But can I try what Abel wants?” He was confused, was his son asking if it was okay for him to eat? He looked at Gemma and Chibs who had come into the kitchen with Tara behind them. They both looked back at him, anger starting to flare in two sets of dark eyes.

Ella ignored everyone other than Abel and Thomas. She ran a finger down Thomas’s cheek. “Of course you can honey. I was just saying if you didn’t like them, I knew I had something I was positive you would like.” She hugged him. “I never say no to giving growing boys food.” Then tickling him a little. He smiled watching as Abel joined in with his Mama, making Thomas squeal with laughter. 

He stepped in, breaking up the tickle fight in the breakfast nook. He wanted to see Thomas eat something. “Okay, let’s get some snack goin’. Mama has a lot to do before everyone comes over for dinner.”

Ella squeezed past him, getting together small bowls with the raspberries and blueberries that Abel had suggested. When she brought them over, and set the bowls in front of the boys, Thomas looked at him, like he was asking permission to eat. Trying to keep the growing anger off of his face, he smiled at his younger son. “Go ahead buddy.”

Thomas carefully picked up a raspberry, and put it in his mouth. For a moment, he just sat there, chewing. Then a smile slowly came across his face. “I like that.”

Abel picked a blueberry out, giving it to Thomas. “Try this, it’s good too.” 

Thomas took the blueberry from his brother and ate it. He looked at Abel. “I like the red one better.”

He was so proud of Abel when the older boy took all of the blueberries out of Thomas’s bowl, putting them in his. Then he carefully picked the raspberries out of his, transferring them to his little brother’s bowl. “You can have my raspberries. I like blueberries a little better.” He smiled a little at the white lie his older son just told his brother. Abel actually loved raspberries.

He noticed the smiles on Ella, Chibs, and his Mom’s faces. They had heard the lie out of Abel’s mouth. Tara looked like she couldn’t understand why they were all smiling. Which, not really knowing Abel anymore, she couldn’t. 

While the boys finished their snack, Ella and his Mom were bustling around the kitchen, getting things together for tonight’s dinner. He was watching the boys when he heard Ella’s voice. “Aw…bollocks.”

Both he and Chibs snickered. When around the kids, Ella tended to revert to British slang to still be able to swear, since none of the kids, except Ellie had any idea what she was saying. And since Ellie Winston was now fifteen, no one really watched themselves around her anymore.

His mom laughed. “What’s wrong?”

Ella put her head down on the kitchen counter for a moment. “Out of butter. I was going to go to the store when I picked Abel up from school, but, well, life mucked that plan up.” She then lightly hit her head against the counter. “And then promptly forgot I needed anything from the store to begin with.” He could hear her laugh lightly.

Before anyone could say anything, they all heard a car pull up in the drive. Abel got up and ran to the living room, looking out the window. They then heard the boy yell. “Papa!” and then heard the front door open.

He looked over at Ella, whose head was lightly tapping the counter again. “Crap.” She looked up, glaring at Tara. “All sorts of things have slipped right out of my head this afternoon.”

He chuckled as he got up. “That’s why I thought break was next weekend, you said your Dad and Patrick were coming out for a football game while Abel was on break, and you hadn’t been talking about it.”

He could see Ella was almost at the end of her rope, she gave him a withering look. “Because they weren’t sure when they were going to get here. Got the email from Patrick this morning, was going to tell Abel when I picked him up from school. And you and Filip when you got home.”

She pushed herself off of the counter and started walking towards the living room, the others following. He smiled at how Thomas went and grabbed Ella’s hand as he ran to catch up to her. He saw the frown on Tara’s face, enjoying her discomfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you're enjoying it! I welcome all comments, concerns, and constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to all who have left kudos!


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tara takes stock of the situation and Ella figures something out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Beginning of the really not nice to Tara part. 
> 
> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Tara noticed how Thomas took Ella’s hand as they walked to the living room where Abel was excitedly running back and forth between two men, telling them the entire story of the afternoon. She felt even more self-conscious than before, feeling her body starting to shake. 

The older of the two men, Ella’s father from what she had gathered, was approximately Ella’s height, trim with a fringe of white hair around a bald head, with bright blue eyes that shone with the same kind of intelligence his daughter had. She could see the family resemblance.

The younger man was Chibs’ height with short dark red hair and hazel eyes. He and Ella nearly looked like they could be twins. He was thin, wearing a pair of baggy jeans and a St. Louis Cardinal’s long sleeved t-shirt. He looked up, noticing her looking at him. His hazel eyes hardened with contempt.

She really felt the need to get away for a moment. She could feel the mild tremors starting to become full blown shakes. She looked over at Gemma. “I’m going to use the restroom.”

Gemma just nodded at her. Too busy enjoying the fact that her discomfort level had been raised higher. 

As she made her way to the restroom she heard Abel. “Thomas, this is our Papa Sam and Uncle Patrick. Papa is Mama’s daddy and Patrick is Mama’s brother. They’re awesome, you’ll like them, I promise.”

When she reached the restroom and closed the door, she leaned against it, tears starting to form. Fuck. She really hadn’t thought of all of the consequences of coming back, just the need to do so. Granted, when they found out, she knew she would be lucky to escape with her life. But…all of this was just insult to injury. 

While she hadn’t wanted Abel to suffer when she left with Thomas, she had wanted Jax to. The anger she had had towards him at the time, she had wanted him to be as unhappy as she was. Whatever has been going on since she left, well who knows, maybe this shit was going on while she was in jail, obviously had made both he and Abel happy. Very happy.

She started rummaging through her bag, there they were. She pulled out the bottle. If she took one, maybe it would be enough to at least get rid of the shakes. She had to be careful, didn’t want to get too high, she needed to be alert.

She shook one pill out of the bottle, crushing it up before snorting it. Hopefully it would be enough. She sat down on the closed toilet seat, waiting for the pill to kick in.

When she finally came out of the restroom she saw Ella standing there. “What do you want?”

The older woman gave her a sarcastic smile. “Besides you gone?” Ella gave a dangerous chuckle. “World Peace. Abel to get into Oxford. An adult vacation in the Caribbean. But, mostly you gone.”

Still waiting for the pill to kick in, she tried to stay still. “So you just wanted to insult me then.”

The other woman shook her head. “No. But I’m not going to dodge the opportunity when presented.” Another dangerous smile. “No, I came to inform you how the rest of the night is going to go.”

Tara sighed, she hurt in a number of places and frankly this woman kind of freaked her out. Her confidence made Gemma look neurotic. But even though she knew it wasn’t in her best interest, she couldn’t resist the flippant remark. “Were you the dictator of a small country at one point?” The pill was kicking in.

Ella laughed. “Yes. This one.” Ella raised an eyebrow, looking closer at her. “Pills or powder?”

Tara swallowed. “What do you mean?” Fuck, how could she know?

Ella closed her eyes briefly and took a breath. Tara could tell the woman was trying to calm herself. She stayed silent. She really did not want to get beat on for a third time today. Ella opened her eyes again, the gray even darker. “I said, pills or powder.” Ella shook her head. “I’ve been around rock music since I was fourteen. I can spot a junkie a mile away. You’ve been getting progressively shaky as the day has gone on, even taking your beat down into account. And for the last thirty minutes you’ve been sweating bullets and looking nauseous. I know it’s not meth or coke, you’re not hyper enough. My guess is Oxy or good old fashioned heroin.”

Ella advanced on her, the dangerous smile becoming cruel. “I win.” The woman leaned in closer. “Now, if you’d like to not get beaten for a third time today, you are going to do as you are told. Correct?”

She nodded. She was smart enough to know when she was out-classed. “What do you want?”

Ella leaned back onto the hallway wall. “Thomas will be staying here. Tonight and hopefully every night after, but the court will decide that soon enough. You have two options. You can stay with Gemma, or you can stay at the clubhouse. You will be at dinner tonight. Everyone will be told to be polite. For Thomas’s sake.” Ella looked at her, waiting for her answer.

Gemma’s house or the clubhouse. Those were the options. Gemma’s house would be more comfortable, but she would get more privacy, possibly, at the clubhouse. “Clubhouse.”

Ella nodded. “Okay. Gemma is going to go to the store for me, if you want, you can go back to the clubhouse and settle in, take a shower. Be back here by eight.” Tara went to move past the other woman when Ella grabbed her arm. “Try anything, and I mean anything, I will make you wish I had killed you earlier today.” Then gave her a bright, cheery smile. “Oh, I assume Thomas has a suitcase? Please bring that in. Thanks.”

She nodded her head. To say she had been out-maneuvered was a total understatement. “I’ll bring it in before I leave.”

Before either woman could walk away, Chibs came into the hallway. “There ye are.” Looking at Ella. “Gemma wants to know if there’s anything else ye need from the store.” Then he looked at her. “And if she’s gonna have a houseguest.”

Ella shouted towards the kitchen. “List on the counter.” Then smiled at Chibs. “And Tara will be staying at the clubhouse. Jackson was supposed to call Bobby and tell him to have a room ready.”

Chibs chuckled. “Which he did by havin’ me do it.” His chuckle died as he looked at her. “He’ll have a room ready.”

She nodded. “Okay.” She looked over at Ella. “I’ll set Thomas’s suitcase in the doorway before I go to the clubhouse.”

Ella, who had her eyes locked on Chibs, barely acknowledged her. “Thank you.” As if politeness was necessary at this point, Ella had put her in her place like no one had before. Not even when Gemma may have sent her to jail. She walked out to go get Thomas’s suitcase as she said she would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. I welcome all comments, concerns, constructive criticism, etc...
> 
> Thanks to those who've left kudos!


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ella informs Chibs and Jax of Tara's new proclivity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. Any and all mistakes are mine.

When Tara walked off, Chibs looked at Ella. She looked back at him like the cat that had caught the canary doing something very naughty. “Ye looked pleased.” He started walking her back into the wall.

He loved the glint that came into her eye. It always worked out well for him. “Yes and no.” She grabbed him by his belt loops, pulling him closer. “Yes, because it gives us the upper hand, and no, because it means things have not been good for Thomas.” She put her arms around his neck. “At the moment, I’m focusing on the upper hand part.”

Leaning in, he used his lips to trace from her jaw to the crook of her neck. “And what gave us that?” He smiled as her grip became tighter. He continued to pay attention to her neck. “Hmm?”

At this point she had ran her fingers into his hair, holding his head to her neck. “Mmm…” He could feel the vibrations of the soft moan in the back of her throat. “That’s nice. I like that.”

“Me too.” A voice said behind him. He didn’t bother to look up immediately, Jackie could wait a mo’, her neck was really too tasty right now. “And if there wasn’t a house full of people at the moment, I’d even prove it.”

They took the hint, it was kind of cruel, considering the day Jackie's had already. He pulled himself away from Ella and looked at Jackie. Jackie looked amused. 

They both smiled at Jackie. Ella spoke for the two of them. “Later for you.” There was that glint again. Then he remembered what he had asked her.

“Luv, what gave ye the upper hand with Tara?” He looked over at Jackie, “Who by the way chose the clubhouse, like we all thought she would. But, when I came back here lookin’ for ‘em, the Doc looks like she’s had the rug pulled out from under her, and this one,” he grinned at their girl, “this one, looks like she’s found treasure.”

Jackie looked at Ella. He loved watching both of them, their minds went constantly. He could see Jackie figuring out anything that worked in their favor probably hadn’t been good for the lad. Jackie sighed. It was a sigh, that had no one else been around, would have made him pull the younger man into their arms. “What did you find out?”

While still looking extremely pleased at getting a true upper hand on Tara, he could see the sadness in how she leaned back into the wall. “Figured out she was a junkie.” She sighed. “I didn’t catch her red handed, but when I asked her she didn’t deny it, and she capitulated to all of my demands. She should have brought his suitcase in.”

Jackie started to seethe. “After all of the shit with Wendy, everything Tara said. And she’s a junkie?”

Ella nodded sadly. “My guess would be Oxy or some sort of downers. Pills. Her nose isn’t red, and if she were smoking heroin, her fingertips would be stained.” She noticed the strange looks from both he and Jackie. “I’ve spent over thirty years around rock musicians. I know my junkies. My money is on Oxy or some other sort of opioid.” She pushed herself off the wall. “You know what? I think we spend the weekend enjoying having Thomas back with all of his family, old and new. Dad and Patrick leave Sunday night. We get into everything with Tara on Monday.” She looked at them both again.

He looked at Jackie, who looked like he was about ready to spin out. “I think that sounds like a plan, luv.” Reaching out he put his hand on Jackie’s forearm. “What do ye think?”

Jackie smiled a tired smile. “Yeah. Get a little space.” His smile became a bit wider. “Tell you what. Why don’t I let you two sneak away to go get your shower, while Gemma is gone and I’ll watch the boys.”

Chibs nodded as he started to pull Ella in the direction of their bedroom upstairs. As they were moving away, he heard Jackie’s laugh. “And oh, how you will owe me.”

He let a full throated laugh escape. “A debt we look forward to paying in full, lad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. I welcome all comments, concerns, constructive criticism, cat pictures....
> 
> Thank you so much to those who left kudos and comments! They're better than cat pictures!


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax and Ella's Dad have a chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes found within are mine.

When he left Chibs and Ella as they made their way upstairs to shower, he made his way to the backyard where Abel and Thomas were playing ball with Patrick. He took a seat by Ella’s dad Sam, who had helped himself to a beer. “Abel showin’ Thomas his batting skills?” As Abel hit the softly pitched ball over his Uncle’s head.

Jax heard Pat’s laugh. “Good job buddy! You did what the guys told you to and it worked!” Ella’s brother worked for the St. Louis Cardinals media office. When the Cards would come play the Giants, they would take Abel to see his Uncle, who would then steal their son and take him to hang out with the players. Hence, the awesomeness of Uncle Patrick.

He heard Sam chuckle when Abel answered. “No, Mama helped me. We go to the batting cages.”

Thomas laughed when Abel laughed at the look on Patrick’s face. Sam poked him with an elbow. “Thomas seems really happy to be with his brother.”

He looked over at Ella’s dad. The older man had the look of a happy grandpa watching his grandsons play ball. “Yeah, he seems to trust Abel’s opinions on everything.” He sighed. “I just wish I knew what has gone on for the last two years.”

The older man reached over and patted his shoulder. “I know son, but that’s going to take some time. Even though Thomas is happy to be home, and I’m sure happy to see you, kids know things instinctively, he knows that you’ll react badly to whatever has gone on, and he doesn’t want you upset.”

He nodded, not surprised by the man’s words, he had similar thoughts. “Yeah.” He shook his head slightly. “Ella said that for the weekend we’re just gonna be happy he’s home and enjoy being together as a family. Then Monday we’ll get into it with Tara.”

Sam chuckled. “Sounds like my daughter. Lull Tara into a false sense of security then nail her to a wall.” He chuckled again. “Metaphorically. Maybe.” Laughing at the look on his face. “She is my daughter, has been for forty-five years. I couldn’t even tell you how many times I’ve had to pull her and Pat apart as they’re trying to kill each other. Not to mention fights between her and various cousins. And Abel did tell us how ‘Mama beat Tara up and then Uncle Tig had to put Mama in time out. But she wouldn’t stay, so Uncle Tig had to tie her up.’” 

Jax laughed. “Yeah, Abel seems to be focusing on the fact that Uncle Tig put his Mama in time out. He couldn’t believe that Tig could do that to her.”

Sam, who was back to watching the boys with their Uncle, who was now pushing Thomas on one of the swings while Abel displayed his own swing skills. “Speaking of my daughter, where is she?”

He smiled as he watched Thomas come towards him. “Went to go take a shower with Chibs. Between the fight and all of the tears, she needed one.”

Sam smiled knowingly. “And Filip went to make sure she doesn’t slip down the drain, right?”

He chuckled. “Something like that.” He looked at Thomas who had come to a stop about a foot in front of him. “What do you need buddy?”

Thomas looked around him into the kitchen, and then back to him. “Where’s Mama?”

He sighed, he knew eventually the boy would get over the excitement of seeing them and want Tara. “Your mommy went back to the clubhouse to get ready to come back here for dinner. She’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

He looked over at Sam when Thomas shook his head. Sam was looking at Thomas curiously. Sam looked to him, silently asking permission to speak with Thomas. He nodded.

Sam reached out an arm to Thomas, who went right to him. “Buddy do you mean Ella? That Mama?” Thomas nodded vigorously as Sam rubbed his back. 

He felt himself relax with relief. He smiled at Thomas. “She went to take a shower and get ready before everyone gets here buddy. She’ll be down in a little bit. Okay?”

Thomas smiled and ran off, back to his brother. He turned to Sam. “Was that as weird as I thought it was?”

Sam shook his head. “Not really. The last Thomas was here, she was the one taking care of him. He may not have the actual memories, but part of him remembers that. Keep that in mind.” Sam sighed. “Look, Ella’s mom had an extreme case of what would now be called post- partum psychosis after Patrick was born. And during the episode, she hurt Ella, not even realizing she was doing it.” He knew he had a shocked look on his face, Sam grimaced. “Ella doesn’t remember it, but she did say once she cannot ever remember trusting her mother to take care of her.” The look on Sam’s face sadder. “Or me to protect her. Proof that kids remember even when we think they’re too young.”

After that the two men sat in silence for a while, he knew that Sam had told him something that had this situation not come up, he would have never known about Ella. Although now he now understood the lack of relationship with her mother.

While they were still sitting, Thomas came back over. “Mama isn’t back yet.” His son looked worried.

He stood up, taking Thomas’s hand. “C’mon buddy, I’ll show you where she is. Will that make ya feel better?” He smiled when Thomas nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! I welcome all comments, concerns, constructive criticisms, drop a hello, whatever.
> 
> Thanks to those who have left comments and kudos. They are sooooo appreciated.


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas gets reassurances from Mama, Daddy and big brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine. Although I would love an SOA beta. Anyone interested please, please email me at kat85507@gmail.com.

Jax led his younger boy upstairs to Ella and Chibs bedroom. “Here we are bud.” He knocked on the door. “Are you two decent?”

He heard Chibs voice. “Depends.”

He was shocked when Thomas spoke up. “I want to see Mama.” The boy was starting to sound a little frantic.

The door opened immediately. Chibs stood there, clad only in jeans, hair still damp. “Well lad,” he pointed towards the bathroom, “Mama’s in there.” Chibs raised a questioning eyebrow as Thomas ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

He moved closer to Chibs. “Don’t know, about ten, fifteen minutes ago, he asked where Mama was.” He grimaced. “At first I thought he was asking for Tara, but Sam figured out he was asking for Ella. Then, couple of minutes ago, comes up to me looking freaked out and asking for her, so here we are.” He walked over and sat on the bench at the end of the bed. “How bad has Tara fucked up that he doesn’t care where she is?” Rubbing his hands over his face. “Shouldn’t she be his entire world?”

Chibs came and sat next to him, he could see the muscles of the darker man’s shoulders flex as he shrugged. “Don’t know Jackie.” The man sighed. “My guess would be that whatever happened was beyond fucked up. And our job now is to pick up the pieces and put the lad back together.”

He smiled, leaning his head on Chibs’s shoulder. “You two seem to have made putting Teller boys back together a cottage industry.”

Chibs laughed. “Cottage industry? You spend too much time with Ella.” Chibs looked towards the closed bathroom door. Then leaned in, his goatee tickling his ear. “We think it’s worth it.” Then teased him by catching his earlobe in between his teeth. “We’ll even show ye later.” 

Before he could react, other than the shiver of anticipation that went down his spine, Ella and Thomas came out of the bathroom. He smiled at his son, who looked more relaxed. “See buddy, I told you she was just gettin’ ready.” 

“I know.” Thomas sounded, well, embarrassed and chagrined. 

Ella rubbed Thomas’s shoulder. “It’s okay honey.” Thomas nodded and he could see the tears starting. He looked at both Chibs and Ella, neither of whom looked happy.

Ella picked Thomas up and pulled him to her as she sat on the bed. She looked at both him and Chibs. Chibs, as always knew exactly what she wanted. He pulled out a black t-shirt, putting it on. “Think I’ll go check on the in-laws and Abel. Plus Gem should be back any minute.” And left the room.

Thomas continued to cry into Ella’s chest. She didn’t say anything, just rocked him. When he went to open his mouth, she shook her head, and mouthed to him to let Thomas cry himself out. So he settled for rubbing his son’s back.

After a few more minutes it seemed like he had cried himself out. They could hear his small voice. “I’m sorry.”

He leaned down, putting his head by Thomas’s. “Why are you sorry buddy? You didn’t do anything wrong. At all.”

Thomas sniffled. “I didn’t listen when you told me.”

Ella looked at him, he gave her a look that said ‘later’. “Sure you did buddy. I just wasn’t very good at helping you understand how long Mama would be.”

Ella wrapped her arms around Thomas even tighter. “You never, never have to be sorry if you didn’t understand. And you never have to apologize for wanting to see me or Daddy. Okay?”

Thomas sniffled. “You won’t tell me to go away?”

He clenched his jaw, and could see Ella clenching hers. Tara might just get that third beat down today. He took Thomas out of Ella’s arms and stood him on the bed between the two of them. “We will never tell you to go away.” He hugged his son to him. “Ever. Do you understand?” His son’s blue eyes were still filled with tears.

Thomas nodded. “Not ever?”

Ella took his hand. “Not ever.” She smiled at him gently. “Okay?”

Thomas smiled at both of them through his tears. “Okay.” Then looked at them both again. “You promise?”

He hugged his son again. “We promise.” He got up with Thomas still in his arms. “C’mon buddy, let’s get back to your brother and everyone. Everybody is comin’ over for dinner tonight. You gettin’ hungry?”

He let go the breath that he hadn’t realized he was holding when Thomas answered. “Yes. I’m gonna stay and eat?”

He heard the low growl that came from Ella. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, he would have laughed. But he looked at the seriousness on Thomas’s face and felt his heart clench again. “Of course ya are buddy. And you’re gonna stay here with us, sleep in Abel’s room on the bunk beds. Do you want to do that?”

His heart unclenched and nearly burst at the smile on Thomas’s face. His son looked ecstatic. And he could feel the relief in Thomas’s body. He had relaxed again. “Yeah!”

Ella spoke up. “Well honey, then that’s what’s gonna happen. Okay? You’ll stay here with us.”

He did laugh a little when Thomas looked at her. “Do you think Abel will want me to be in his room?”

He hugged him. “Oh buddy, you have no idea. Your brother wanted bunk beds so there would be a bed for you in his room. No matter what happened, Abel never stopped being your big brother. Just like I never stopped being your Daddy.”

Thomas hugged him back. “And Mama never stopped being my Mama?”

Ella reached over his shoulder and ruffled Thomas’s hair. “Exactly.” Putting a hand on his lower back, she pushed them both towards the chaos coming from the kitchen. “Thomas, do me a favor?” He could hear her laugh as Thomas nodded importantly. “Take Daddy outside to play. Otherwise he just gets in the way when we’re trying to cook. Can you keep him out of me and Grandma’s way?”

Thomas nodded again. “Okay Mama.” Thomas looked at him. “We need to go find Abel and go on the swings again.”

He laughed at the serious tone of his son’s voice. “Yes, sir. Let’s go find brother.”

As they walked through the kitchen he could see that not only had Gemma returned, but Lyla had shown up with her three kids in tow. 

Lyla walked out back with them. “Kenny and Piper are back here somewhere. Ellie is in the living room, reading.” She looked at Thomas. “Do you remember me Thomas?” 

Thomas shook his head. “No. I’m sorry.” Burying his head into his Daddy’s shoulder.

Lyla smiled. “That’s okay Thomas. You’ll get to know all of us again. But I should warn you, the boys and Ellie are pretty excited you’re home.”

Thomas nodded into his shoulder. He looked at Lyla apologetically. “Sorry darlin’, he’s had a day already.”

Lyla shrugged. “Yeah, I’ve heard. Ran into Gemma at the store. Got the full rundown,” looking at Thomas, “at least up until she left for the store. Chibs and Sam filled us in on what happened while she was gone.”

Abel had finally noticed Lyla, even though he had been playing with Kenny and Piper. “Auntie Lyla! Auntie Lyla! Did you see!? Thomas is home!” He laughed as he watched Lyla brace herself for one of Abel’s running hugs. He threw himself into her arms. When Thomas saw Abel, he wiggled out of his arms.

“Oof! Abel you may almost be too big for me to pick up.” She gave Abel a kiss before setting him down. “And yes, I see, Thomas is finally home. And your Grandpa and Uncle Patrick are here too. Pretty cool, huh?”

Abel gave her a high five. “Yep! And Thomas is gonna stay with us! He’s gonna sleep in the bunk beds with me!” Abel looked at his brother. “Right Thomas?”

Abel beamed as Thomas smiled enthusiastically. “Yes, I am. Mama and Daddy said so.” Then Thomas looked at Lyla. “Are you my Auntie too?”

Abel shook his head at what he probably thought was a dumb question from his baby brother. “Of course she is Thomas. If they are my Auntie and Uncle, then they’re your Auntie and Uncle, ‘cause you’re my brother. Just like Ellie and Kenny and Piper are your cousins.” He and Lyla nearly laughed as Abel put an arm around Thomas’s shoulder. “Don’t worry Thomas, I’ll tell you who is who. It’ll be okay, I promise. Okay?”

Thomas nodded at his brother’s words. “Okay.” Then Thomas looked back at him. “Daddy can I play on the swings?”

Once again, Abel took control. “You don’t have to ask Thomas. This is your house too.” Abel started pushing Thomas towards the swings, and looked back. “C’mon Dad, Thomas needs to be pushed. He doesn’t know how to swing yet.” 

Lyla laughed as she gave him a shove. “Yeah Dad. Go push your son.” She gave him a quick hug. “I’m glad he’s home where he belongs. For all of you.”

Giving her a small squeeze back. “Thanks darlin’. Remember for the kid’s sake, we’re being civil to Tara.”

Lyla nodded, but did not look happy. “Yeah. I know. Doesn’t mean I like it.” She patted his shoulder. “I should go back in before La or Gemma come lookin’.”

He chuckled as he walked towards his sons. “Probably not a bad idea, not gonna take much to set either one of ‘em off tonight.”

Lyla waved him off, heading back to the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, constructive criticisms, links to cat pictures....(Mine are on Instagram under Handsome Dib.)
> 
> Once again, Ope sized thanks to those who have left comments and kudos!


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tara comes back to Casa de Kinloch/Telford/Teller for SAMCRO family dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

When Tara arrived back at the house at seven-thirty, she parked on the street since it seemed like the driveway was full. When she walked up, she could see Bobby getting containers out of the garage van.

He nodded at her as she walked up. When she had arrived at the clubhouse Bobby had been civil, but made it clear that it was for Thomas’s benefit only. “You can go on in. We’re only waiting on Happy and Waylon.”

“Waylon?” She asked. It was a name she had never heard. She wondered if he was another transfer like that Bugsy guy who kind of reminded her of Opie.

“Transfer from SAMVEG, like Bugsy.” Bobby started walking her towards the house.

As they were walking to the house, Chibs came out the front door and looked at Bobby. “Ella is lookin’ for ye. Wants ye for somethin’.”

Bobby nodded and headed into the house. Chibs looked at her appraisingly. “Well looks like ye managed to hide some of the damage my girl did.”

She tried to get past him. While she had enough pills in her to make it through this, she really wasn’t in the mood for more threats. “Yes.” Then tried to get past him again. “Do you mind?”

He grabbed her arm. “If I were ye, I would be on yer best behavior. With the way Thomas has acted while ye were gone, both Jackie and my girl are ready to end ye.”

She pulled her arm away. “Yeah. Think your old lady made that clear.”

As Happy and another guy rolled into the driveway on their bikes, Chibs nodded to the door. “Go on in, we’ll be eatin’ soon.” He gave her a dark look. “And remember what I said.”

She nodded as Happy and Waylon came up the drive. The younger man reminded her physically of Kozik. Tall, thin, but muscular, with short blonde hair. He looked at her and then Chibs. “This her?”

Chibs nodded. “Waylon, Tara.” He looked at her, it wasn’t pleasant. “Tara, Waylon.”

She nodded to the blonde man. “Hello.”

The blonde barely looked at her. “Yeah.” 

Happy finally spoke. “We should get in before La comes lookin’ for us.” He gave her a glance that made her shudder. “She’s already beat down one person today, would suck to be the next.” Both Chibs and Waylon laughed, Chibs clapping Happy on the shoulder. 

“Good point brother, she has been on a tear today.” Chibs looked at her pointedly.

As she followed Happy, Waylon, and Chibs into the house, Chibs stopped her for a moment, leaning into her. “Hope ye filled up on yer pills, hate for ye to get the shakes again.” His voice cruel.

She looked at him, she shouldn’t have been surprised that Ella had told him. “Does Jax know?”

He nodded. “Yeah. So does Gemma.” He gave her another dark look. “My girl doesn’t hide shit from us when it concerns the lads.” He gestured for her to enter the house. “Unlike others.”

When she entered the house, the noise level increased tenfold. Between the guys hanging out in the family room with a baseball game on the big screen, the three dogs running around, and the kids running in and out from the backyard, it was almost too much.

Chibs had pushed her towards the kitchen, where Ella and Gemma seemed to be holding court while getting dinner ready. She could hear Ella yelling good naturedly.

“Bobby! Kid’s food first. Then the steaks. Oh, and make sure to leave a space for Lyla, Ellie and Cynda’s chicken!” Ella’s back was to her as she dealt with something on the stove.

Bobby tucked his head back into the kitchen. “Not my first rodeo, hon.” He chuckled. “As you well know.”

She heard Gemma laugh as Ella’s only response was to flip Bobby the bird. Bobby laughed. “Love ya too, hon.”

Gemma finally noticed her, and reached over, poking Ella in the ribs, nodding her way. Ella turned around, looking at her. “You’re back.” Then turned back to whatever she was doing.

Gemma gave her a cold look. “We’ve got things handled. You can have a seat.” Gemma looked at Ella, who she could see was clenching her jaw. Fuck. Ella might actually try to beat her a second time today.

But, when Ella turned to her again, her face was relaxed. And while the look wasn’t friendly, it was neutral. Ella looked around for a moment, then noticed Ellie Winston had come in from the back yard. “Ellie honey, need you to clear the kitchen, and keep the other kids out for a minute, can you do that for me please?”

Ellie nodded at Ella, and then gave her a scathing look as she went back to the back yard. “Sure La. I’ll keep the kids out there.”

Ella smiled at Ellie. “Thanks sweetie.” Then Ella turned back to her. “I’m just going to say this once. If you step out of line at all, it will be your end. Are we clear?” Ella, Gemma, Lyla, and a blonde stripper looking woman, who must be the Cynda that Ella mentioned a few minutes ago, all looked at her with cold eyes.

She nodded, wondering how many more times she was going to be threatened tonight. “Yeah. Think I’ve got it.” She knew she shouldn’t have an attitude, but this was all wearing thin regardless of the pills.

Ella raised an eyebrow. “Good. Adhere to it.”

Tara watched as the other women went back to getting things ready for dinner. She just sat there, watching the interaction between Ella and the other women. She noticed that Gemma treated her less like a daughter, and more like a sister, an equal. Wonder what she did to earn that.

At one point Ella did look at her and ask if she wanted anything to drink. She had accepted a beer, hoping it would help along with the pills.

A little while later, she was shooed out of the kitchen as a herd of kids, led by Ellie Winston came in, settling around the breakfast nook as Ella and the other women were getting plates together for the younger ones. She had noticed Thomas and Abel come in followed by what appeared to be four year old twins, a boy and a girl. They ran to the blonde stripper, “Mommy! Can we stay here tonight with Thomas and Abel?”

The blonde laughed. “Sorry babies, we’re leaving after dinner to go see Grandma and Grandpa for the weekend. Don’t you want to see them?”

The twin boy and girl, both blonde, looked torn. “Yeah, but…”

Ella interrupted them. “You two will have plenty of time to see Thomas when you get back. Go let Grandma and Grandpa spoil ya.” She ended with a smile at the two of them.

The two sighed. “Okay.” Both kids heading back to the table.

The women, with Ellie’s help got the kids settled with hamburgers and hot dogs, with what appeared to be homemade baked Mac and Cheese. The kids were also given a mix of veggies. Both Kenny and Piper looked at Lyla, who seemed to know exactly what they were going to say. 

“Yeah, those are vegetables, and yeah, you will eat them.” Lyla shot both boys a look telling them to shut up and do as they were told.

Tara watched as Ella got Abel settled and then went back to Thomas. She couldn’t hear what the older woman was saying, but Thomas seemed happy and comfortable with her. Tara watched as Ella watched Thomas dig into his food, Ella nodding her approval as she ruffled his hair as she walked away to get things ready for the adults.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, constructive criticisms, etc...
> 
> Thanks to all of those who have left comments and kudos!


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner time. (I suck out loud at summaries)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. (I would actually really love one for this story. Email kat85507@gmail.com if interested.) All mistakes are mine.

Jax looked around as everyone was inhaling the food that Ella and his Mom had made, along with the steaks and chicken that Bobby grilled. Ella preferred how Bobby grilled for large groups. For the most part the mood was as high as it normally was at a ‘family dinner’. He could hear the kids in the kitchen talking and laughing while eating.

He sat at one end of the table, while Sam sat at the other. Like chapel, Chibs sat to his left and Tig to his right. Ella sat by Chibs, her chair close to the kitchen and allowing her to keep an eye on the kids. 

Gemma was on Sam’s right, and Ella had put Tara on his left. Like Ella had told him quietly, Sam would manage polite better than anyone. As a sports journalist, the man had plenty of practice pretending to like people he didn’t. 

He noticed that Tara didn’t eat much, just pushing food around her plate. Every once in a while she would look into the kitchen at Thomas, who he could see was eating like food would be taken from him. He took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on anything else.

Tig leaned over to him, speaking softly. “Brother, you look about a sec away from going over the table at the Doc.” The dark haired man continued. “Remember Thomas is a room away.”

He nodded taking another breath, trying to concentrate on eating instead of killing Tara.

He could see Ella get up as kids started to leave the kitchen. Kenny, Piper, Abel, with Thomas in tow, asking if they could go back outside to play. The twins echoing the others. He could hear Ella in the kitchen. “Let me turn on the lights back there, and all of you need either jackets or hoodies, it’s getting chilly.” All of the adults in the dining room laughed at the chorus of kids whining about jackets, and Ella’s response. “Fine, no jackets and you can all spend the rest of your break in bed with a cold. Sounds fun doesn’t it?” After a minute both Kenny and Piper came back through to get their SAMCRO hoodies. He knew that Ella kept a hoodie stashed in the breakfast nook for Abel.

Everyone looked up as they heard Ella’s voice again. “What? You don’t have a jacket? Well, honey, let’s go find you one.”

Ella came through the dining room with Thomas in her arms, heading towards Abel’s room. Shooting Tara dirty looks the entire way. 

Before he could say anything, it was actually Ella’s brother Patrick who spoke. He looked at Tara like she was an idiot. “He has no jacket?! You’re from here, you know it gets cold at night. How does he not have a jacket?!” He nearly laughed, he could almost hear Ella’s voice while her brother was talking.

He was happy that the kids other than Thomas and Ellie were outside, and Ellie was in the family room, hooked up to her iPod, reading a book until she was needed to help. 

Everyone became quiet. Patrick was still looking at Tara, who was looking like she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Which sounded good to him. Patrick continued to stare at her. “Guess it’s another question you’re not going to answer. Fine.” Pat got up from the table, bringing his plate into the kitchen.

He looked over to Sam, who had watched his son stalk off to the kitchen. Sam looked back at him and gave a slight shrug. Sam didn't seem too concerned, so he wasn't going to be either.

Ella came back through with Thomas, who was wearing an old SAMCRO hoodie that Abel had almost grown out of. He got up following the two of them. When they were in the kitchen he smiled at Thomas. “Found you a hoodie, huh?”

Thomas nodded happily. “It’s just like Abel’s!” Hugging Ella. “Thank you Mama!” She hugged him back.

“My pleasure honey. Now give your Daddy a hug and then you should get out there and play while the twins are still here.” She looked out back. “Looks like Uncle Patrick is playing pitcher again. I bet if you asked him, he’d show you how the big leaguers throw.”

Thomas ran over to him, barely hugging him in the rush to get back to the kids outside. He chuckled. “Have fun buddy.”

“Okay. I will!” As Thomas ran out the patio door.

He looked at Ella, who was watching Thomas run over to his Uncle Patrick. When he looked out he could see Patrick leaning down, listening to Thomas. The man nodded at his son, and placed him in front of him, putting the ball in Thomas hand, then kneeling, Jax figured he was talking Thomas through the pitch, because his son threw the ball to Piper, who hit it easily. And Thomas was damn near glowing as he gave his Uncle a high five.

He and Ella looked at each other, he was sure the smile on his face mirrored hers. Before either one of them could say anything, Gemma and Lyla came into the kitchen holding plates and other dishes, Cynda following. Ella looked at him. “Looks like I’ve got work to do.” Then gave him a small smack on the arm. “Will you go unhook Ellie and tell her she’s wanted.”

“Sure darlin’.” He moved into the family room where Ellie was sprawled out on the couch, reading a book. Being plugged into her iPod, she didn’t notice him coming into the room until he had pulled one of the ear buds.

He looked down at her smiling. “Breaks over, sweetie. Looks like the girls are cleaning up dinner so we can have dessert.”

Ellie groaned as she got up. “Ugh. How could anyone eat dessert after all that food?”

He laughed as he gave her a hug. “We’re boys, stomachs with legs, sweetheart.” Sometimes seeing Ellie broke his heart, she looked so much like her mom the older she got, except she had her dad’s height. The ache that carried Ope and Donna's names flared just a little brighter for a moment.

She let go of him. “Tell me about it. I watched Kenny eat an entire box of cereal the other day. Yuck.”

He grinned. “Ah…I remember those days. Eat all you want, burn it off running around, and repeat. I feel sorry for your Mom, she has both Kenny and Piper.”

Ellie laughed. “Yeah, we hear about it after every trip to the store.”

They both heard Lyla. “Ellie!”

He nearly choked on his laughter as Ellie rolled her eyes in a way that was so like her dad it was frightening. “Yeah, I’m coming!” She ran off to the kitchen.

After doing Ella’s bidding he decided to go outside to check on the boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel welcome to leave any comments, concerns, constructive criticism, etc...
> 
> Air hugs to those who have left kudos and comments!


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After dinner. From Tara's POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd, so therefore any and all mistakes found belong to me.

Tara was shocked that she had made it through dinner. Ella had sat her at the opposite end from Jax, sitting her by Ella’s dad, who she found out was a sports columnist in Orlando. Gemma had sat across from her, and Bobby had been put next to her. She knew that was Ella insuring her compliance.

Things had actually gone pretty well until Thomas said something to Ella about not having a jacket. Tara had actually expected Jax, Ella, or Gemma to go after her, maybe even Chibs, but Ella’s brother coming after her was totally unexpected. She didn’t answer him. What could she say, yeah, sorry forgot it as I was taking Thomas out of hell in the middle of the night. What little she had managed to grab was a miracle. But she couldn’t say that. So she just stayed quiet.

When Ella had come back out with Thomas, who looked thrilled with his SAMCRO hoodie, she closed her eyes. When she opened them she could see Gemma looking at her with satisfaction in those dark eyes. 

She had expected a smart ass remark from Gemma, but the woman simply got up and with Lyla and Cynda’s help, started clearing the table. She stayed put, not wanting to deal with Ella or Gemma.

She noticed Ella’s father, Sam, looking at her. She looked back at him cautiously, even though he had been nice enough, he was Ella’s dad. “Can I ask you a question?”

He looked at her thoughtfully. “Sure. Fire away.”

She gave him a slight smile. “Has your daughter always been this…” She couldn’t find the right word.

He smiled. “Dictatorial?” He started to laugh. “Yes. And it’s just gotten worse the older and smarter she gets.” 

She nodded. “Thought so. Was she always this confident?”

Once again the man nodded. “Yep.” He shrugged. “Just who she is.” He looked at her seriously. “Look, by the time Ella was eight, her mom and I knew she was smarter than either one of us, and neither one of us is anywhere close to stupid. She was a full time college student less than six months after her sixteenth birthday, had her first master’s degree by the time she was twenty-one. And not long before her twenty-second birthday, she moved, by herself, to another country. All of that takes extreme confidence, in herself, her abilities.”

She knew she had a shocked look on her face, but she was still confused. If the woman was so brilliant, why was she here, in Charming? “Then why is she here, if she’s so smart and educated? Shouldn’t she be doing something more important?”

Sam laughed. It wasn’t a pleasant laugh. “You sound like her mother.” He shook his head. “Ella is, well Ella. She’s always marched to the beat of her own drummer. Or better put, danced.”

She shook her head. “You do know that SAMCRO isn’t just guys who like to ride motorcycles, right?”

Sam gave her a pitying look. “I’m aware. So is Ella.” He leaned into her. “I’m not thrilled, but there are four things I am absolutely certain of. First is that Filip loves my daughter with all of his heart. Second, she found her son here, and Abel is worth it. Third, my daughter isn’t stupid, and I know that she has contingency plans for her contingency plans. Fourth, I trust my daughter to live her life. She’s managed to get along just fine without my interference.” 

He stood up from the table. “I hope this has enlightened you some. Think I am going to go check on my grandsons before dessert.” He walked away.

Enlightening. Yeah, that was the word for it, she thought. And she did notice the man’s use of the word grandsons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you're enjoying it. Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, constructive criticism, etc...
> 
> Thanks to those who have left kudos and comments!


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another after dinner chapter from Tara's POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Tara had retreated to the living room when Ella’s voice had rung through the house. She put a hand to her head. Fuck, that woman had a set of lungs. “Dessert! For those who want it.”

She watched as most everyone made way to the kitchen. Her curiosity gotten the better of her and she made her way to where everyone had gathered. She watched as most of the SAMCRO adults went for a dessert that looked to be made of varying chocolates. She noticed that when Ella’s dad went for it, Chibs leaned over, whispering something to the older man, who immediately went for the dessert that Ella and Lyla had been giving the kids. Her guess was the ‘adult’ one was made with weed.

Ella came over. She braced herself. “Do you want any dessert? The chocolate torte is for adults only. The other is not, but made with a sugar cookie crust with chocolate mousse and raspberry.” She shook her head.

“Suit yourself.” Ella walked away, going to make a pot of coffee.

After dessert, she watched as that Bugsy guy and his wife got their twins together. The big man’s voice booming. “C’mon terrors! Time to go see Grandma and Grandpa!” The twins came running in. The man looked down at them. “Did you two tell Abel and Thomas and Kenny and Piper good-bye?” The twins nodded, and went over to Ella, giving her a hug good-bye.

Ella, who was being hugged by two four year olds laughed. “We’ll see you two when you get back.” Hugging them a little tighter. “Don’t worry, Thomas will still be here when you get back from your grandparents house.”

“Okay. Bye!” The twins told her as Bugsy and Cynda each took a twin, saying good-bye to people as they made their way out, the Golden Retriever that had been running around, following.

After that, she noticed that people had broken into little groups, just enjoying the evening. Jax was outside with Tig, Happy, Bobby, and Ella’s brother with the kids. Gemma, Nero, Juice and Lyla were out there also.

Ella and Chibs were sitting at the dining room table with Ella’s dad, Waylon, and an English guy who seemed to be connected to Ella. She thought she had heard someone call him Twink. She slid into a seat at the opposite end of the table than they were sitting at. Ella gave her a slight nod, continuing with the conversation that she wasn’t really paying attention to. She just wanted the night to be over and be allowed to leave.

After a few minutes, she watched as her son came in and instead of coming to her, he climbed up on Ella’s lap. Ella looked at him. “What’s up buddy?”

Thomas pulled her head down so he could whisper in her ear. Ella smiled. “You bet buddy, let’s go get you some.” Ella got up with Thomas in her arms and walked to the kitchen. When the two came back, Ella had a small plate in her hand. She strained her neck a little, it was a little piece of the kid’s dessert.

After Ella set the plate on the table, she sat back down with Thomas back in her lap. He dug into the dessert immediately. Ella’s dad smiled at Thomas. “Good stuff, isn’t it bud?”

Thomas nodded, trying to get the bite down. “It is.” He looked at Ella. “Did you make this?”

Ella kissed his head. “Me and Bobby. We like to bake.”

Chibs leaned over to Thomas. “And we like to eat the stuff they bake, isn’t that right, lad?” Tickling Thomas a little.

Thomas giggled at Chibs, “Yeah!” 

After Thomas finished his second dessert, he stayed planted on Ella’s lap, resting his head on her chest. Her son didn’t even look at her once, which did not go unnoticed by the others at the table. Even though it shattered her heart, she knew that the things that had happened over the last year and a half pretty much guaranteed that her son was lost to her.

As the adults continued to talk, Tara watched as Thomas was trying to keep himself awake. It seemed Ella noticed too, she rubbed Thomas’s back. “Getting tired, honey?” Thomas nodded.

Ella looked over at the clock. Ten-thirty. Tara saw Ella give Chibs a glance, the man nodding to her. Did those two even need to speak? Ella got up, Thomas in her arms. “Honey, I’m going to have you sit with Uncle Chibs while I go get your brother and daddy. Will that be okay?” Thomas nodded again.

Ella placed Thomas in Chibs arms, then walked out towards the back yard. Thomas cuddled into Chibs, who was absentmindedly rubbing circles on his back. After a few minutes of that, Thomas was out like a light.

Ella came back in with Jax, who was carrying a semi-delirious Abel, in tow, “Okay honey, I…”

Chibs put a finger to his lips. His voice soft. “Lad is out for the count.”

She watched as Jax smiled down at Thomas, and then Abel. “Not surprising. They’ve had a day.” Then he looked at Chibs. “You gonna bring Thomas?” The dark haired man nodded.

“Yeah. I can do that.” As Jax and Ella left the room, Jax carrying Abel.

When Chibs got up, Thomas stirred. Chibs rubbed his back again. “It’s okay lad, I’ve got ye. Gonna get ye to bed with big brother.” When they got by where she was Chibs stopped. “Do ye want to say good night to yer mommy?”

Thomas barely looked at her as he mumbled a good night. Chibs ignored her completely as he took Thomas back to Abel’s room. Which she supposed was now Thomas’s also.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, constructive criticisms, or just to say Hi.
> 
> Thanks to all who have left comments and kudos, know that they are much appreciated.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bedtime for Abel and Thomas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. Any and all mistakes are mine.

She smiled as Filip brought Thomas into Abel’s room. He woke up a little as Filip put him down on the bed. “There ye go lad.” Leaning down, giving him a kiss on the head. “G’night, we’ll see ye in the mornin’.”

Thomas smiled sleepily. “Okay.”

Filip walked over to Abel who Jackson had put down so he could get into his pajamas. “G’night little man.”

She chuckled as Abel gave Filip a little drunken hug around his legs. It was a couple of hours past his bedtime on a highly emotional day. Her little man was spent. “Night Uncle Chibs. I love you.” She could have kicked herself for leaving her phone in the dining room. She really wanted a camera right now.

Filip smiled down at him. “Love ye too, little man, get some sleep.”

She grabbed his arm as he went to make his way out of the room, pulling him to her. “Please, please get that woman gone. At this point I’m half a heartbeat from gutting her.”

She leaned into the kiss he placed on her cheek. “Will do, luv. Yer not the only one.” Nodding over to Jackson, who was helping Thomas get into his pajamas.

She sighed. Other than Thomas’s return, this day was starting to get to her. “Which is why she needs to be gone before we come out of this room.”

He nodded to her, turning to go. “Sweet dreams, lads.” Leaving the room.

She went over to the lower bunk where Jackson was finishing getting Thomas into his pajamas. Thomas looked like he could barely keep his eyes open. Abel climbed on the lower bunk. Looked like he planned on sleeping down there with his brother instead on the upper bunk he usually slept in.

After Abel crawled in with Thomas, holding his stuffed bear, Jackson pulled the blanket up over the boys. He looked at Thomas. “Do ya have anything ya sleep with buddy?”

Thomas shook his head and in a very quiet voice. “No. Mommy forgot it.”

She closed her eyes a moment. As much as she wanted to kill Tara, slowly and painfully kill Tara, she knew she couldn’t do a goddamned thing until they knew what had happened to Thomas. She had to know what she had to fix before she could fix it. At the moment, if she could have screamed, she would have.

Thankfully Jackson was on top of it. “Well then I guess we’ll have to go find a new bed buddy then, how does that sound?”

She smiled at Thomas’s answer. “Good, Daddy. But Mama is gonna come too, right?”

Jackson turned to her, smiling, then turned back to Thomas, chuckling. “Do you think we’d be able to keep Mama away?” 

Both Thomas and Abel giggled. Thomas looked at her, his tired little eyes sparkling a little. “No. ‘Cause Mama loves me.”

She could feel the tears in her eyes. “That’s right honey, I do.” She sat down on the bed by Jackson. “We all do. And tomorrow, we’re gonna go get you the things you need, okay?”

Before Thomas could answer there was a small knock on the bedroom door, then Gemma poked her head in, and she could see her Dad standing behind Gem. “Grandma and Grandpa would like to say good night. Can we come in?”

She laughed. “I know better than to say no, so come on in.” She and Jackson got up so Gem and her Dad could give the boys goodnight kisses. Her Dad going first. Then Gemma. While Gemma was saying good night, her Dad came over to her. “How ya holding up, sis?” Speaking quietly.

She leaned into him for a second. “Barely. Tell me Filip got Tara out of here. If she’s still here, it’s gonna make the Ella/Patrick throw downs seem tame.” She ran a hand through her hair.

Her Dad nodded. “Yes. He had Happy take her out and follow her back to the clubhouse.” Then he laughed lightly. “She looked terrified of Happy.”

Jackson, who was standing with them watching the love-fest that was his mother and sons, gave her Dad a wicked grin. “She should be.” 

Her Dad chuckled. Then looked over at Gemma. “Come on Gemma, let’s get out of here so Jackson and Ella can say good night,” then looked at Abel and Thomas, “and little guys can get some sleep.”

Gemma nodded and looked at him. “Yeah. Probably a good idea. ‘Night boys. I love you.” 

“Love you too Grandma.” Both boys echoed. She smiled as her Dad and Gemma left the room.

She and Jackson sat back down on the bed with the boys, both of who were already drifting back into sleep. They both kissed their sons goodnight and after turning on Abel’s night light, quietly let themselves out.

After closing the door the two of them stood there for a moment. She cocked an ear towards the rest of the house, trying to figure out if there was anyone coming back there. Jackson gave her a questioning look.

Satisfied they would have at least a minute undisturbed, she took his hands and pulled him to her. 

Smiling, he wrapped his arms around her. “As much as parts of this day have really sucked, and as worried as I am about Thomas, that was pretty wonderful.”

She rested her head on his shoulder. “Yeah it was.” She lifted her head to smile at him. “I could get used to that.” 

He squeezed her, chuckling. “Yeah.” Then he grew serious. “Thomas is gonna need a lot of things. That suitcase was a disaster. Ten pairs of socks. Three pairs of underwear. Looks like it was packed in a hurry.”

She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the urge to drive over to the clubhouse and beat the truth out of Tara. “It probably was. We’ll go shopping tomorrow.”

He nodded. “It’ll have to be in the afternoon. I gotta go to the garage in the morning. With all of this Thomas and Tara drama, haven’t been able to talk to the guys about what happened while we were at Indian Hills.” He sighed. "And unfortunately, that's gotta happen."

She thought for a moment. “Okay. That’ll give the boys a chance to run some energy off before shopping.” She separated from Jackson. “Let’s get back to the others before they come looking.”

He laughed. “Probably a good idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, constructive criticism...whatever.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winding down the night. And Chibs, Ella, and Jax get a little alone time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Not long after they had gone back to the others, everyone who didn’t live there, or was staying there, made their way home. His Mom and Nero being the last to leave. 

His Mom gave him a tight hug. “Night baby.” She pulled back a little. “I know this isn’t gonna be a picnic, but he’s home, and now has all of us. We’ll get him through this.” Hugging him again, she chuckled. “Trust me baby, La isn’t gonna let that cunt do anymore damage to Thomas.”

He hugged her back. “Yeah. But it doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck.”

His mom laughed as she disengaged herself. “No, baby, it doesn’t. Get some rest. You’re gonna have to get used to two boys runnin’ around.” Laughing a little harder.

Nero shook his hand. “It’s a good thing Jax. He’s home where he belongs. But, your Mom is right,” the man gave him a huge grin, “rest up. Once he’s really comfortable, he may be more energetic than Abel.”

He laughed. “Good point. And sleep sounds good, it’s been a long ass day.” As his mom and Nero left.

After his Mom and Nero left, both Sam and Patrick said good night, heading upstairs to the guest rooms. He wandered into the family room where Chibs and Ella were sprawled out on the couch.

He walked over, lifted Ella’s legs and made a spot for himself, laying his head on her ribcage. It felt good to be close, he could hear her heart beat.

The three of them laid there quietly for a while, just enjoying the stillness of the house.

Chibs broke the silence. “So luv, do yer Da and Paddy sleep hard?”

He chuckled, it was the question he’d been getting ready to ask.

He could feel her shrug. “I have no fucking idea.” Then he heard her laugh softly. “You two gave me so much shit for putting furniture in the studio above the garage. Now who looks like the fucking genius?”

He stretched his neck to look at her and Chibs. She had a smile that screamed ‘I told you so’ and Chibs rolled his eyes good naturedly at her. “Once again luv, you were right and we were wrong.” Then Chibs gave both he and Ella a wicked grin. “So why’re we still layin’ here?”

He sat up, moving Ella’s legs so they were off of the couch. “No idea.” He looked at both of them. “How long do ya think we can sneak away for?” He was a little worried about how Thomas would sleep in a new environment.

Ella looked at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Hell, she’d probably thought of it before he had. “I’d say about an hour, at least. He was pretty wiped out.”

Chibs untangled himself from Ella, getting up and putting a hand out to each of them. “C’mon luvs, let’s put that hour to good use.” Pulling them both of them up.

As he lost himself in the tangle of limbs and lips, he thought of nothing other than the two people in bed with him. Well, when he was actually capable of thought. As Ella writhed below him, and as he rode Chibs, all of his worries slipped away. So did coherent thought and speech. And the moment he thought his body would overload with pleasure, he could feel his orgasm start, pulling the others over the edge with him.

After they were all spent, and Chibs let him go, he rolled away from Ella, trying to suck air into his lungs. “Christ! I don’t know about you two, but I think I feel a whole lot better.”

Chibs chuckled breathily as he laid down on Ella’s other side. “Ye think?”

He raised himself up onto one elbow, looking at the other man with a grin. “Yes. But it’s a positive thought.”

Ella smiled lazily as she pulled him back down. “Better be. Because I think I am ready for sleep.” And then she laughed. “And a cigarette. Were any of us smart enough to bring any out here? Or do we have to get up?”

Chibs kissed her deeply. “Have to get up. Don’t think any of us were thinkin’ about smokes when we were on our way out here.” Chibs shot him a wink. “Shouldn’t the genius have thought of that?”

He joined in, laughing. “Can’t believe ya forgot ‘em darlin’.” Shakin’ his head ruefully. 

She stuck her tongue out at both of them. “Hey, I seem to remember someone,” she looked at Chibs, “throwing me over their shoulder. Little hard to remember when you’re being shanghaied.” She laughed. 

He kissed her. “Touché.” He looked at her cel. “Shit. We’ve been out here almost two hours. We should probably go back in.” He started to get up.

Ella shot up, only putting on her underwear and the sweater she had been wearing, running out of the studio to the house.

He looked over at Chibs, grinning. “Think that was for the boys or for a smoke?”

Chibs shrugged as he smiled. “I’d say even odds. With the lads barely coming out ahead, at least for the time being.”

They both got into their pants, bringing the rest of the discarded clothes with them as they went back into the house. When they got back in, they found Ella in the family room, smoking a cigarette and fingering a joint. “Boys are still passed out.” She grinned at both of them. “You should go see, it’s pretty cute.”

They both went to the boy’s room. He opened the door a crack, and they could both see that Abel was holding Thomas’s hand tightly, like someone may try to come take his brother away. But both boys were sleeping soundly. With Pup at their feet.

He silently shut the door again and the two made their way back to the family room. As both he and Chibs lit smokes, Ella lit the joint. He smiled at her. “That was pretty cute. Thomas is passed out pretty hard, he didn’t even move when I opened the door.” He took a hit when Ella passed the joint to him.

Chibs smiled. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll sleep like Abel, through anything.” Taking the joint from his fingers.

Both he and Ella laughed softly. Wouldn’t that be nice? But somehow he had a feeling they weren’t going to be that lucky. He put out his cigarette. “Think I’m gonna head to bed.” He kissed both of them before heading to his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, and constructive criticisms. 
> 
> Thanks to all who've left kudos and comments.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas has a bad dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Abel was dreaming of running with Pup, when he could hear crying. But he wasn’t crying in his dream. The crying went on. Then he felt Pup stand on him. He woke up.

When he woke up he could still hear the crying. Then he realized it was his little brother. He put his arm around Thomas’s shoulder. “Thomas, did you have a bad dream?” He remembers that when Tara took Thomas, he’d had a lot of bad dreams.

Thomas nodded his head, but he didn’t stop crying. Abel tried hug him, but Thomas didn’t want him to do that. He looked at his brother. “Do you want me to go get Daddy?”

Thomas shook his head. He had stopped crying but he was shaking like he was scared. “Want Mama.”

Abel shook his head. “Your mommy isn’t here Thomas. I’m sorry.”

He frowned when his brother looked even worse. “Not mommy. Mama.” He thought for a minute.

“You mean Mama upstairs?” Thomas nodded.

Abel nodded. “Okay. I’ll take you up there.” He got out of bed and put his hand out for his brother. Thomas took it after he got out of bed.

When he opened the bedroom door, Thomas squeezed his hand really hard. “What’s wrong?”

Thomas whispered. “Scared of the dark.”

Abel nodded. He was still a little scared of the dark, that’s why he had his night light. “Okay.” He pulled Thomas back into their room and went to his desk. He opened a drawer and got his flashlight out. “Now we won’t be scared.”

He led his brother upstairs to Mama and Uncle Chibs’s room. The door was open a little so that Mama’s cat Winston could go in and out at night. He pushed it open. Mama and Uncle Chibs were asleep.

He took Thomas over to the side of the bed that Mama was on. “Mama.” He whispered. She didn’t wake up. “Mama.” He said it a little louder.

She opened her eyes, and looked at him. “Honey, what’s wrong? Why are you awake?”

Uncle Chibs had woken up too. “Abel?” 

“Thomas had a bad dream. He didn’t want me to get Dad, he wanted Mama.” He pulled his brother from out behind him.

Mama did what he knew Mama would do, she pulled Thomas into bed. Thomas started to cry again while Mama was whispering to him.

Uncle Chibs got up. “C’mon Abel, let’s go get your Da. He should know that yer brother had a bad dream.” Uncle Chibs picked him up and started going to Dad’s room.

“Uncle Chibs?” He had wanted to ask Mama or Dad, but he thought they might get upset.

“What bud?” Uncle Chibs stopped and looked at him.

“Bad stuff happened to Thomas didn’t it?” He wasn’t sure how he knew that, but he did.

Uncle Chibs hugged him. “Yeah, lad, we think bad stuff happened to yer brother.”

He nodded. “But we’re gonna make sure that bad stuff can’t happen to my brother anymore, right?”

Uncle Chibs hugged him again. “Aye, lad. No more bad stuff for brother. Now let’s go get yer Da up.”

He hugged his Uncle Chibs, hard. “Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, constructive criticism, etc...
> 
> Thanks to all who have left kudos and comments. They are much appreciated.


	30. Chapter Twenty-Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chibs and Abel go get Jax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine. 
> 
> This is a little dollop of a chapter, I'll probably post another later today.

He had been sleeping soundly until he felt a body hit his bed. Sitting straight up, he had started to reach for the gun he kept in the nightstand when a voice stopped him. “Dad, Thomas had a bad dream.”

Shaking his head to wake up, he noticed Chibs was in the room with Abel, wearing only his boxers. “What?”

Chibs sat down at the foot of the bed. “The littlest Teller had a nightmare. Abel asked if he wanted ye, but Thomas said he wanted Ella.”

Abel chimed in. “No he said he wanted Mama. I thought he meant his mommy, but he said Mama upstairs.”

He reached over and turned on the bedside lamp. Both Abel and Chibs looked a little disturbed. Actually only Chibs looked a little disturbed, Abel looked freaked out. Guess he finally realized that maybe some bad things happened to his baby brother. 

He threw the covers off himself, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “Thomas upstairs?”

Chibs nodded. “Aye, when we left he was cryin’ in Mama’s arms. He hadn’t said anything.”

He nodded, rubbing a hand over his face. He looked at the clock. Four o’clock. He’d been asleep about two hours. Getting up, he found a pair of boxers to put on. “Let’s go find out what’s goin’ on.”

Chibs nodded his head at Abel, who was starting to drop off in his bed. “Why don’t I bunk down here with Abel? That way in case Thomas has more nightmares he won’t wake Abel up.”

He nodded, it made sense. “Okay.” He leaned down and gave Abel a kiss on the head. “Get some sleep bud. I’m proud of ya buddy, ya took care of your brother.”

Abel barely responded, he just buried his head in the pillow. Before he left the room, he put Pup on the bed so the dog could sleep by Abel. 

Chibs waved him on. “We’ll be fine. Get yerself upstairs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! Please, feel free to leave any comments, concerns, constructive criticism, etc...
> 
> Thanks to those who have left kudos and comments! They are much appreciated.


	31. Chapter Thirty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas with his Mama and Daddy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. Any and all mistakes are mine.

When Filip left with Abel to go get Jackson, Thomas was sobbing in her arms. At first she didn’t say anything. Just rocked him as she was holding him. Whatever he’d had a nightmare about, it had scared him, badly.

She could feel his tears starting to slow. She reached over to her nightstand grabbing a tissue. She handed the tissue to him. “Why don’t you blow your nose honey, you’ll feel a little better.” He took it and blew his nose that had become all snotty with the crying.

“Thank you.” He said in a whisper.

“No need to thank me honey, that’s what I do, take care of my boys.” She hugged him.

“That’s right buddy, that’s what Mama does, takes care of us.” Jackson came in and sat on Filip's side of the bed, scooting over to them.

When Jackson put a hand on Thomas’s back, she could feel him flinch, and cling to her even tighter. She put her face in Thomas’s hair. “It’s alright honey, it’s just Daddy.”

Jackson looked at her, his eyes haunted. She shook her head, now was not the fucking time to get into this. She kept rocking Thomas, whose tears had started again. Whatever happened had happened at the hands of a man. That she was sure of. Actually, she thought she had figured most of it out, but like she had told Jackson and Filip, things were going to wait until Monday. She just hoped she could manage to not kill Tara during that time period.

The tears slowed again and Thomas looked over at his Daddy. “I’m sorry.” His little voice so small and pitiful.

She could feel a tear slide down her face when she saw the tears in Jackson’s eyes. “Nothing to be sorry for buddy. You had a bad dream. Sometimes that can make you a little jumpy for a little while.” Jackson’s voice was strained.

She took one of her arms that she had wrapped around Thomas, and wrapped it around Jackson, pulling him to them both. She was gratified when Thomas reached out for his Daddy, situating himself to where he was able to be held by both of them.

Once Thomas had relaxed some, she asked him in her most gentle voice what his dream had been about. Thomas started to shake a little. Jackson rubbed his back. “It might make ya feel better if ya talk about it. I know that always makes your brother feel better when he has a bad dream.”

Thomas looked at his Daddy. “Abel has bad dreams too?”

Jackson nodded. “Sometimes.” He smiled sadly at Thomas. “Not so much anymore, but right after you and your mommy left, he had a lot of them.”

“And you and Mama made them go away?” Thomas question was filled with so much hope, it made her soul hurt.

Although she did smile at Jackson’s answer. “Yeah, buddy, we did. But he told us what was scaring him so we could help.” Slick. But she wasn’t surprised. Jackson was smart, very smart. 

Thomas stiffened. “Bad man was chasing me and I couldn’t get away. And I tried to run to you but he hurt you!” He started crying again, but this time didn’t flinch when his Daddy started rubbing on his back.

Jackson looked at her, she was pretty sure that she had the same anger in her eyes. She watched as he took a deep breath before he answered, tamping down his anger. “Buddy, no one, and I mean no one, will hurt us to get you. And we will never let anyone hurt you again. We will keep you safe, okay?” Jackson chuckled a little. “C’mon buddy, do you think Mama would let anyone she didn’t trust near you?”

Thomas shook his head. “No. Abel said Mama beats up people who try to hurt us.”

She could feel her face growing red. She’d only beaten Ima and Tara, but unfortunately Abel saw her drag Ima into the clubhouse by the bint’s bleached blonde hair. And the aftermath of her beat down of Tara. 

Jackson laughed a little at Thomas’s statement. “Your brother isn’t wrong. Even though it’s never a good thing to beat someone up, Mama has been known to go a little crazy when someone tries to hurt her boys.”

She hugged Thomas to her. “Daddy’s right honey. It’s not something I’m proud of, but when someone tries to hurt you or your brother, I do get angry, because it’s not okay with me to have someone hurt you.”

She hugged him tighter. “But I’m not the only one. Your Daddy, your Uncle Chibs, your Grandma, Papa and Patrick. Oh, honey, you have so many people now who will keep the bad man away from you.” She took her hand and tilted his face towards hers. “You hear me? Anytime you don’t feel safe, you come get any of us and we’ll help.”

He nodded, his eyes finally starting to grow heavy again. “I can stay here? I don’t have to go with Mommy?”

She kissed his head. “That’s right. You can stay here and not go with Mommy.”

He looked at his Daddy, Jackson nodding. “Mama’s right buddy. You're staying here.” Jackson smiling at him gently. Then giving her a look that said Tara was in for a world of hurt.

Thomas’s eyes closed as he mumbled. “Good. I like it here.” They both held him as he fell back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, constructive criticism...whatever.
> 
> Heartfelt thanks to those who have left kudos and comments.


	32. Chapter Thirty-One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ella can't sleep. (In case you haven't noticed, I'm really bad at summaries.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes found within are mine!

She laid there for a little while, listening to Thomas and Jackson breathing. Looking over at the clock. Five in the morning. She gave a quiet sigh, knowing she wasn’t going to be going back to sleep.

Very gently, she untangled herself from the two, she pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms, and considering the temperature, she grabbed one of Filip’s long sleeved SAMCRO shirts and put it on over her tank top and headed down to the kitchen. Once there, she started a pot of coffee and turned on the light for the patio.

Getting her first of what she was sure would be many cups of coffee of the day, she grabbed her smokes and the remainder of the joint from a few hours ago, and headed out to the patio.

She had been sitting quietly for a bit when she heard movement in the kitchen. Turning her head to the noise, she saw her Dad getting his own cup of coffee and heading out to join her. She quirked an eyebrow. “Up early?”

He smiled. “Eight thirty in Florida. You’re up early. But then again, I heard some up and down a bit ago.”

She nodded. “Yeah. A little musical beds. Thomas had a nightmare. He and Jackson came upstairs, while Filip went to bunk down in Jackson’s room. Abel and Pup are sleeping with him in there.”

Her Dad chuckled. “You don’t so simple do you, sis?”

She had to laugh, but it really wasn’t a pleasant one. “No, I really don’t.” She didn’t care that her Dad was sitting right there, she lit the joint and took a hit. “And I have the feeling this is gonna get a hell of a lot more complicated before it’s over.”

Her Dad smiled sadly. “Yes, it probably will.” He reached over and patted her shoulder, which from her Dad was the equivalent of a bear hug. It was one of the things that she loved about her SAMCRO family. The physical affection. It had not been a hallmark of her childhood. “Pat has to leave Sunday, but I can email my columns, I can stay if you need me to.”

She patted her Dad’s hand. “Let’s see how the rest of the weekend goes. But, I do appreciate the offer.” She grinned at him. “Don’t mention your offer to Abel, he’ll hound both of us all weekend.”

Before her Dad could respond her cel phone rang. She looked at it. Jonathan. She answered, putting it on speaker. “Thanks for calling me back. Once again, you are on speaker. My Dad is with me.”

Jonathan chuckled tiredly. “Eleanor, as much as I like you, why are you calling me at almost six in the morning?”

She grinned at her Dad. “Your fault for bragging how you’re up at five during the work week. But I do have a reason.” She took a deep breath, she had started thinking about this yesterday after catching Tara outside the guest bathroom. “I want you to draw up the same set of papers we had Wendy sign, the ones that let me adopt Abel.” She looked at her father, who nodded his approval.

Jonathan didn’t say anything for a minute. “What brought this on?” His voice was cautious.

She sighed. “Oh let’s see, there’s the fact that I’m 99.9 percent positive Tara is a drug addict, then the fact that Thomas acts like she’s not even in the room, oh, and the fact that he looked like he hit the lotto when we told him he was spending the night, and that he barely has any clothes, you want me to keep going?”

Jonathan sighed, “No, I really don’t. Do you think she’ll sign them without being bullied or coerced by you?” He stopped her before she could answer. “Eleanor, I know you, and I know you realize it some, but you have no real idea how intimidating you can be. I just want to make sure this isn’t something she would come back later to contest.”

She looked at her Dad, who was nodding along with what Jonathan was saying. She flipped her Dad the bird as she lit a smoke. “I wouldn’t ask for them if I didn’t think she would sign them voluntarily.”

“Okay.” The lawyer audibly yawned. “I’ll get them started. I’ll bring them to Charming Monday afternoon. Will that work? But in the meantime, I’m still asking for the court hearing on the custody violation, just to have our bases covered.” Then he sighed. “No disrespect Sam, but Eleanor, have you called Robert? Let him know what’s happening? You are adding another son to his clan, he should be informed.”

She sighed. It was a conversation she wasn’t looking forward to. Robert would be angry that she hadn’t called immediately. He had been the one to convince her that she needed to adopt Abel, not just have custody. With all of the chaos that Abel had already gone through, as her former father-in-law pointed out, adoption would give Abel true security. “No, I haven’t. Right now my priorities are Thomas and Abel, and how they’re getting through all of this drama. Call him if you want, tell him I’ll call him as soon as things settle a bit.”

Jonathan laughed. “No, thanks though. I’ll get those papers started, and once again, play as nice as you can with Tara. Just remember you’re doing it for Thomas. See you Monday.”

“Okay. Thanks Jonathan, I appreciate it.” She disconnected from her attorney. 

She looked over at her father. “Sorry he brought Robert up.”

Her father waved her off. “No need, sis. Just because you divorced Duncan, doesn’t mean you divorced his family.” And then laughed. “And how many people can say they stood up at their ex’s second wedding. They’re as much your family as any of us.”

She smiled at him. One of the things she loved most about him is that he really lived the phrase ‘judge lest ye be judged’. “Want some more coffee?” Her version of atonement.

He laughed, “Sure, I’ll take another cup of that wicked brew.”

Before she could get up, they heard someone else in the kitchen. She got up and went in to the kitchen to find her brother getting a cup of coffee. “Mornin’ sis. You’re up early.”

She groaned as she got coffee for her and Dad. “Yeah. Thomas had a bad dream so there was some switching of sleeping arrangements. And after Thomas fell back to sleep, I tried, but it was worthless. Might as well be up.”

He walked out to the patio with her. “I heard people up and down. Thomas okay?”

She shook her head. “On some levels, sure. But I have the feeling it will be quite a while before that boy is really okay.”

Her brother nodded at their dad as he sat down and lit his first smoke of the day. “Yeah.” He exhaled the smoke. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the idea that she could leave with him at any time, legally.”

She gave her brother a pointed look. “That will not happen. She knows about the court decision from six months ago, if she leaves with him now, she’s a fugitive. Plus, Monday, Jonathan is bringing me the same papers we had Wendy sign so I could adopt Abel.”

Pat nodded. “Hopefully she’ll sign them.” His voice became more sarcastic, she knew he was thinking of their own mother. “Hopefully she’ll do what’s best for her kid. But we both know that doesn’t always happen.”

They heard a voice behind them, Filip. “Sign what?”

Her Dad jumped. “Good God, don’t sneak up on old men like that.” He grinned at Filip. “Your girl is having the lawyer draw up the same papers she had Wendy sign.”

Filip raised an eyebrow at her, not surprised by what she had done, more that she had managed to get it done so soon. She gave him a tired smile. “Couldn’t sleep. Left Jonathan a message at five-fifteen. He got right back to me.”

Filip nodded and sat down with the three of them. “Thomas’s nightmare that bad?”

She nodded. “Bad man chasing him, bad man hurting Daddy when he tries to get to him. So a double bonus, fear and guilt. Oh, and when Jackson touched him the first time, he flinched. Noticeably. Then tried to burrow through me.” She shoved the chair away as she got up, looking at Filip. “Do you want coffee or tea?” She needed to be doing something.

“Coffee, luv.” Filip knew that she was done talking about this for a minute, she needed to calm down, both of the boys, plus Jackson would probably be up soon. And none of them, especially Thomas needed to see her agitated so early in the day.

She brought Filip his coffee and sat back down. He looked at her. “What’s the plan for today?” Then laughed. “Other than me bein’ the only one workin’.”

She shook her head. “I think Jackson plans on spending the morning at the garage. But this afternoon, we have to go get stuff for Thomas. Jackson said the suitcase is a disaster, and she forgot to pack his…well, I don’t know what he has now, but it was his little lion.”

She could almost see the steam come out of both Filip and Patrick’s ears. Good to know she wasn’t the only one.

Her cel rang again. She looked down. “Gemma.”

Her Dad laughed. “I’m surprised she’s not here yet.”

She rolled her eyes as she answered. “You’re on speaker.”

Gemma’s voice came through. “Good morning to you too. How’d the rest of the night go?”

Filip answered. “Jackson and Thomas are sleeping upstairs, Abel slept with me in Jackie’s room. What does that tell ye?”

Gemma sighed. “Nightmare?”

She snorted. “And we have a winner in one. Yep. Nightmare. You comin’ over for breakfast?”

Gemma laughed. “How’d ya know?” Still chuckling. “Do you need me and Nero to bring anything?”

“No, think I’ve got everything here, now it’s just a matter of talking Pat into making breakfast.” She smiled as sweetly as she could at her brother who rolled his eyes. Wasn’t her fault that he had supplemented his income while in college by being a cook at a breakfast joint.

Gemma laughed. “Sic Abel on him. That should work.”

Patrick broke in. “Fine! I’ll make breakfast. Leave Abel out of this.”

Filip laughed at him. “Ye just don’t want the lad to know he can get whatever he wants outta ye.”

Patrick nodded vigorously as the rest of them were smirking at him. “Goddamn right.”

Gemma laughed. “We’ll see you guys in a bit.” She hung up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, and constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to all who have left kudos and comments!


	33. Chapter Thirty-Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And over at the SAMCRO clubhouse...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine and mine alone.

Tig woke up at six, his usual time, at least during the week. When he had gotten back to the clubhouse, Tara had already retreated to the room Bobby had set her up in. That hadn’t surprised him, he figured she had chosen to stay at the clubhouse because other than making sure she didn’t fuckin’ bolt again, they’d leave her be. Gemma would be in her face twenty-four hours a day. That is if Gem didn't outright kill her.

He had noticed how miserable Tara had looked at dinner. He hadn’t felt bad for her, he was actually amazed that Jax, Chibs, or Ella hadn’t fuckin’ killed her already. Well, okay, he’d stopped La, but the only real reason he did that was that there had been customers on the lot, he was pretty sure one of them would have reported a redhead gutting a brunette.

He headed towards the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and hopefully a muffin. That is if Bobby woke up early enough. He stopped at Tara’s room. He tried the knob, it was unlocked. He opened the door quietly, seeing Tara passed out on the bed in the clothes she had been wearing last night. Walking over, he saw the pill bottle on the nightstand. Saw the residue of what looked to be crushed pills, and a cut off straw. He picked the bottle up. Oxy.

Shaking his head, he set the bottle back down, and after closing the door behind him, went down to the kitchen. Bobby was just pulling muffins out of the oven. He looked up. “Mornin’ Tigger.”

He nodded at Bobby while getting his cup of coffee. After the first drink, he looked at the former VP. “Mornin’.”

Bobby frowned at him a little. He wasn’t usually this surly in the morning unless he was massively hung over, which he wasn’t today. “What’s buggin’ you?”

He shook his head with disgust. “Checked on the Doc. Passed out. Bottle of Oxy by the bed.” He wasn't above a little recreational abuse of prescription drugs, Oxy among them, but what he just saw spoke of long term addiction. There was no fun there.

Bobby looked at him, eyes narrowed. “Seriously?”

He nodded. “As a fuckin’ heart attack brother.”

“Serious about what?” Happy came into the kitchen.

“Tig found Tara passed out in her room, bottle of Oxy by the bed.” Bobby informed Happy.

Happy looked at him. “Snag any?” 

He flipped Happy off. “No. Have the feeling the Doc knows exactly how many pills she has left.”

Happy nodded. Bobby looked at him. “You gonna call Jax or La?”

He sat his coffee cup down and rubbed a hand over his face. “Probably should, huh?”

Both men nodded at him. Fuck. He pulled his cel out of his jeans. Scrolling through the contacts, he decided on La. He knew she was up this time of day.

He hit the button to call, listening to the ring, and kind of hoping she wouldn’t answer. He took a deep breath when he heard La’s voice. “Morning Tig.” He could hear the noise of breakfast being made in the background.

“Mornin’ doll.” He really didn’t know how to approach this new information. “Uh, doll?”

“What’s going on Tiggy? You sound like there’s something you really don’t want to tell me.” She sounded tired.

He decided to just bite the bullet. “Checked on the Doc when I got up. She was passed out, wearing clothes from last night, bottle of Oxy by the bed.”

She didn’t seem surprised. “So that’s what it is.” He could hear her sigh. “Fuck I hate it when I’m right.”

He frowned. “You knew?”

She snorted. “No, I guessed. You just gave me confirmation.” Her voice became deadly serious. “You guys don’t know. Got it? I need her to stick around ‘til at least Monday. Lawyer is bringing papers for her to sign, so I can adopt Thomas too.”

He nodded. “And you want to use that as a lever. Got it.” He had been a trained Marine sniper in his former life, and sometimes La scared him with her tactical thinking. If she had been a man, she would make a phenomenal SAA. Or hell, even President.

He could hear the smile in her voice. “Knew ya would Tiggy. Pat’s makin’ breakfast, wanna bring Maggie pup over so she can spend the morning with the boys and her Pup?”

He laughed, La was determined to have Pup knock his dog up. She thought the puppies would be ‘adorable’. While he’d never admit it, so did he. “Sure, doll. But I’m tellin’ ya now, if that dog knocks my girl up, I’m goin’ for puppy support.”

She laughed, hard. “Duh. Pup is no responsibility shirker. He feels strongly about taking care of his pups. We’ll see you two in a bit.” And hung up.

Tig looked at Happy and Bobby, shrugging. “La had already guessed. Guess all I did was confirm what it was.”

Both men nodded, Bobby speaking. “Well, she has spent a lot of time with musicians. I’m sure she’s run across her fair share of junkies.”

He drank the rest of the coffee in his coffee cup, and then set it in the sink for a prospect to clean up later. “Well, I’m gonna take Maggie over so the boys can run her ragged, maybe get knocked up by Pup.”

Happy laughed. “La’s determined to get your dog knocked up so she can cut Pup’s balls off.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Poor Pup. I’ll be back in a while.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Big thanks to those who have left kudos and comments!


	34. Chapter Thirty-Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning from Jax POV. (Yup, still suck at summaries.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistake are mine.

Jax woke up, at first a little disoriented, because he wasn’t in his own bed. Oh, he knew whose bed he was in, and then remembered the night. He looked over at Thomas, who was sleeping next to him. He smiled a little, Thomas looked so peaceful now. Looking over at the clock he could see it was a little past six-thirty. Shit. He needed to get up and get ready to go into the garage for the morning.

Thomas stirred a little, opening his eyes. He looked around at the unfamiliar room until his son’s eyes settled on him. “Mornin’ buddy.”

Thomas yawned. “Morning.” He looked around. “Where’s Mama?”

Jax sighed, he had the feeling that Thomas was gonna be a little like how his brother was right after Tara left. Ella being the rock that they clung to. “She’s probably downstairs gettin’ some breakfast ready. You hungry buddy?”

Thomas nodded as he climbed into his lap. Maybe he wasn’t gonna be just like his brother had been. “Yes. Can we go downstairs?”

He pulled Thomas to him as he stood up. “Sure buddy. Just have to stop off in Daddy’s room so Daddy can put some pants on. Okay?”

Thomas nodded. “Will Abel be down there?”

He smiled at his son as they walked down the stairs. “He should be. If not, then he’s already runnin’ around outside.”

They reached his room. When he opened the door, Abel and Pup were still passed out on the bed. He smiled at Thomas. “I think brother needs to be up, how about you?”

Thomas giggled a little, which made him feel a little better about what happened last night. His boy wasn’t carrying it with him this morning. “Yeah.”

He set Thomas on the bed and Pup lifted his head looking at Thomas. He looked at Thomas, and then sat down on the end of the bed and bounced a little, showing Thomas how he should wake his brother up. Thomas got it and started to jump up and down some. Pup got in on it, by getting up and bouncing over to Thomas, who giggled again when Pup licked his hand.

Abel started to stir, so he got up and threw on a pair of jeans. As Abel opened his eyes and took a look around, Thomas bounced over to him. “Morning, Abel!”

Abel yawned. “Morning, Thomas.” Abel looked over at him. “Morning, Dad.”

“Mornin’ buddy.” Pup was bouncing around the bed. “Hate to say it bud, but I think Pup wants to go o-u-t.”

Abel nodded and started to get out of his bed, sliding down to the floor. “C’mon Pup, let’s go outside.” The dog jumped down, following Abel to the back yard.

He picked Thomas up and headed to the kitchen. When they got there, while he wasn’t surprised to see his mom, he was surprised to see Tig. That was until he saw Tig’s mutt running around with Pup outside. Ella wanted puppies, and she wanted to be able to get Pup neutered.

He looked over to see Patrick making breakfast for everyone. 

Ella noticed that they had come downstairs, poking Chibs in the ribs. He looked over and got up. “Morning lads.” He stopped as he got to them, looking at Thomas. “Mama and Da get ye back to sleep?’

Thomas nodded. “Yes.” He noticed the frown on Thomas’s face as he looked at Chibs. It wasn’t a frown that said he was wary of the man, it was the frown that he had noticed his son got when he was sure he was going to be in trouble. “I’m sorry I made you leave.” The tears that seemed so close to the surface coming again.

Chibs gently took Thomas from his arms and sat down with him. “Thomas, ye had a bad dream. It’s yer Mama and Da’s job to make sure that you’re okay.” He gently tilted Thomas’s face towards his. “And ye did not make me leave. I could have stayed, but I thought since it was yer first night here, maybe ye would only want yer Mama and Da.” Chibs took a deep breath. “Lad, ye should never be sorry for askin’ us to take care of ye. That’s what we’re supposed to do as yer family. Ye hear me?” 

Thomas nodded, looking relieved. He could feel himself let out the breath he’d been holding.

Ella stepped in. “C’mon honey. Uncle Patrick is makin’ breakfast for us. Do you like eggs, bacon, and hash browns?”

Thomas shrugged. “I think so.” He closed his eyes, once again trying to talk himself out of killing Tara for what seemed to be the hundredth time in the last sixteen hours.

“Well, let’s try it, and if you don’t like it, we’ll figure something else out.” As always Thomas relaxed with Ella. She smiled at him and Chibs before turning back to Thomas. “Wanna do me another favor, like you did last night?” He nearly laughed when Thomas nodded enthusiastically.

Ella smiled at him. “Please go get your brother so we can eat. And tell him to leave the dogs outside.”

Thomas slid off of Chibs lap and made his way outside to his brother.

After the boys came back in, they all had gotten their food, and since there were more people than there usually were at breakfast, it was moved into the dining room. Thomas sat between Ella and Chibs. Abel sat by Tig, finally taking advantage of having the SAA in a quieter setting.

Tig looked down at Abel and grinned. “What do ya need little man?”

Abel looked at him, his blue eyes wide. “You put Mama in time out.” His voice full of awe.

Everyone stopped the small conversations that had been going on. All, with the exception of Ella, showing great interest. Tig smiled at Abel again. “Yep. That was me.” While he knew Tig felt awful about the rope burns, there was bit of pride in Tig's tone.

Abel looked at the SAA, eyes still wide. “I didn’t know Mama could go to time out.”

Tig laughed. “Well, she didn’t want to. It took a lot of work.” He would never, never say it aloud, because eventually Ella would find out and kick his ass for it, but he was more than a little sorry he had missed the spectacle he was assured by a number of witnesses it had been.

Abel nodded. “I bet.” Everyone laughed, even Ella.

Thomas looked at Tig. “Why did you put Mama in time out?” There was anger in his voice. Which Ella noticed and put the kibosh on immediately.

“Uncle Tig put me in time out so that Mama wouldn’t do something really dumb and get into a lot of trouble.” She looked at Thomas intensely. “Uncle Tig was trying to help Mama, not be mean to her. Okay?”

He looked at Thomas, who was taking in what Ella had said. Thomas looked at Ella. “Okay.” He looked over at Tig, who reached over Chibs to ruffle Thomas's hair. 

“Don’t worry little guy. I promise to never do that again unless I absolutely have to. Deal?” Tig smiled at Thomas.

Thomas studied the SAA, then smiled. “Deal.”

Gemma clapped her hands. “Okay, so what’s the plan for today?”

He looked at his mom. “Chibs, Tig, and I have to go to the garage.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “So do you.” He heard Nero snicker to the other side of his mother.

Sam laughed. “Pat and I are going to play golf. Probably leave here about ten. Probably won’t be back ‘til dinner time.”

Ella nodded. “Thought so. I figured the boys and I would hang out here this morning, and then maybe hit Hanna’s for lunch, then come to the garage so we can grab Jackson and go get Thomas here the things he needs.”

His mother went to speak. He watched Ella pin his mother with a look that said ‘back the fuck up’. Then she looked at Thomas and Abel. “Sound good to you guys?”

Both boys nodded. He smiled at the look on Thomas’s face. He looked excited that he was being included in the decision making process.

They finished up breakfast, he and Chibs making their way to their respective rooms to get ready for work at the garage. Tig, his mom, and Nero left right after breakfast.

When he came back to the kitchen, he could see the boys in the family room, watching some cartoon. Ella was cleaning up the breakfast mess while Pat and her Dad were on their laptops getting some sort of work done.

Ella waved him over to her and then escorted him into the living room. “Thought you should know, Tig checked on her this morning, found her passed out with last night’s clothes on, bottle of Oxy on the nightstand. And before ya ask, no he did not snag any. Man is crazy, not stupid. Junkies know exactly how many pills they have.”

He felt his shoulders tense. “You were right. Now what?”

She smiled. “Oh, we’re still gonna wait ‘til Monday to get into shit with her. Jonathan is drawing up the same papers we had Wendy sign, letting me adopt Abel.” He could see her blush a little. “If that’s okay with you.”

He pulled her into the hallway where there was a little more privacy. He put his arms around her. “Why wouldn’t it be okay with me?”

She shrugged. He looked at her closely. While he knew that she hadn’t really gotten much sleep last night, she looked like she hadn’t really slept in days. Then he realized, she probably hadn’t. She was pretty honest about the fact that she didn’t sleep well when both of them were gone, even when they had either Tig or Bobby stay with her and Abel. She had told them the sleeplessness wasn’t about safety. She had just gotten used to always having at least one of them there, in bed with her.

He looked at her again. “Answer me darlin’. Why wouldn’t I be okay with it?”

Another shrug, and then she sighed. “I don’t know. With Abel, it was a gradual process. This is like getting hit upside the head. I wasn’t sure if you would be okay with how fast I was acting.”

He held her to him, talking in her ear. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re already his Mama. And I think if you asked Thomas, he would agree with me.”

He could feel her tears start. As he held her to him, Chibs came down the stairs and raised an eyebrow. He looked into those dark eyes. “Think the last few days have caught up with her.”

Chibs nodded, and he turned her into the Scot’s arms. Standing there with them rubbing her back, he looked at Chibs. “We gotta remember that only one of us goes on runs.”

The Scot nodded back. “Couldn’t help it, both of us needed to be in Indian Hills to hear what Jury had to say.”

Ella pulled away from Chibs. “Hi. Standing right here.” She gave both of them dirty looks. “Yes, I am tired. No, I haven’t been sleeping. Will this pass? Yes.” She gave them each a kiss. “Go to the garage, we’ll see you after lunch.”

They both nodded, and walked back to the family room to tell the boys good-bye. He chuckled when neither boy’s eyes left the TV as they waved good-bye to him and Chibs. Chibs gave Ella a kiss good-bye and then he realized he had no transportation. Both his bike and truck were at the garage.

Ella was looking at him, a smug smirk on her face. “Need a ride?” Chibs laughed.

He rolled his eyes and nodded. She laughed and looked at her Dad. “Watch the boys while I run Jackson to TM?”

Her Dad nodded. “Sure. Anything I need to know?”

Ella looked at the clock. “When the cartoon is done, so is TV. They can play in Abel’s room.” She paused for a moment. “Guess it’s their room for the time being. I’ll deal with baths and getting dressed when I get back.” She walked to the family room. “Boys.”

He was a little chapped when both boys gave her their undivided attention. She grinned at him. “I’m gonna run Dad to the garage real quick. Papa and Patrick will be staying here until I get back, okay?”

Both boys nodded, Thomas looked at her. “You’ll be right back?” He sounded a bit nervous.

She went and took Thomas’s hand and took him into the kitchen. “It takes me about twenty minutes to drive to the garage and back. I’m going to set the kitchen timer. If I’m not back by the time it goes off, you tell Papa to call me, okay?”

Thomas looked relieved. “Okay. Bye Daddy, I’ll see you later.”

He kissed his son’s head. “Yep, see ya later, buddy.”

Ella grabbed her purse and keys and took him to TM. When they pulled into the lot, he looked at her. “See you and the boys around noon?”

She nodded. “Yeah, sounds right. If it changes or shit goes sideways, I’ll call.”

He took her hand. “No shit going sideways. Tara is staying here. Not gonna let her anywhere near you three.” He grinned at her. “If there wasn’t a lot full of people, I’d kiss you right now.”

She grinned back. “If there wasn’t a lot full of people, I’d do far more than kiss you.” She laughed. “Have fun at work, see ya at noon.”

He laughed as he was getting out of the car. “You know, you really don’t play fair.”

She laughed again. “Nope. By hook or by crook as I like to say. Or better yet, all’s fair in love and war.”

He was still laughing as she pulled out of the lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, and constructive criticism.
> 
> Thanks to those who have left kudos and comments!
> 
> On another note, this story is approximately two-thirds done and I'm already up to ninety-five chapters. (Not to mention the two partially done prequels.) I would seriously love to find a beta for this story and this AU. Please email me at kat85507@gmail.com if you are interested!!!!


	35. Chapter Thirty-Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chibs and Jax have a little chat with Tig after chapel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Tig had the feeling that something was up when after the meeting in chapel where Jax and Chibs told them what Jury had told the two of them. New MC trying to move in on the Indian Hills charter, afterwards, Jax and Chibs had asked him to stay behind.

Lighting a smoke he looked at the President and Vice-President. “Yeah?”

When it was Chibs that started, he had the feeling this had to do with La. “Heard about Doc askin’ about Ella actin’ like Jackie’s old lady and how ye shut that shit down. Asked Ella, she said that ye got her shitfaced and interrogated her.” The Scot did not look happy, and Tig knew that an unhappy Scot was a dangerous Scot.

He shrugged. “Yeah.” He grinned at both of them. “Tried to get one of you to admit it, but ya wouldn’t so I got her drunk and asked her.” He sounded as unrepentant as he was.

Jax looked at him, curious. “She did point out that you stopped baiting us after your little interrogation. So, you found out what you wanted to know. That all that changed?”

Both men looked at him. He sat there for a minute staring back trying to figure out what to say. Because, had it just been about sex, he probably would have hounded both of them, flipping them shit. He finally shrugged again. “Fine. When I asked her what was goin’ on, she gave me the whole story.” He shrugged again. “By the time she was done, it was pretty obvious that she’s in love with ya both. I like La, don’t want her to be unhappy. The situation you guys got makes her happy. That’s why I shut shit down with Tara.”

He looked at the shock on both of their faces. And laughed. “By the way, everybody has pretty much figured it out. Except maybe Juice, he’s so fuckin’ retarded he actually buys the shit story you three try to sell. As long as it doesn’t affect shit, no one cares. Everybody loves La,” he gave both of them a hard look, “and none of us are fuckin’ blind. Both of ya are far happier and easier to deal with.”

Both Chibs and Jax looked at him like he had grown a second head. He laughed. “Is that all ya wanted? If so, I got work to do in the garage.” He got up to leave.

Jax looked at him. “Yeah, okay. We’ll be out in a few.”

He was chuckling as he left chapel. He always enjoyed when he could shake things up a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> My thanks to those who have left kudos and comments.
> 
> Since this is a short chapter, I'll probably post a second one later today!


	36. Chapter Thirty-Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tara checks to see how Thomas's night went...Jax doesn't react well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

He looked over at Chibs, he could see the Scot still staring at the door that Tig had just exited. “That was informative.” He gave Chibs a slight smile.

“Yeah.” Chibs looked over at him, his dark eyes full of humor. “It was.” He got up. “Think I’ll wander out to the garage, maybe do some actual work.”

He chuckled. “Probably not a bad idea.”

When Chibs opened the door, Tara was standing there getting ready to knock. Chibs looked back to him. “Ye wanna talk to her?”

He sighed internally. No, not really, but he supposed he had to. “Yeah, might as well.”

Chibs barely looked at Tara, keeping those dark eyes locked on him. “Ye want me to stay?”

He wanted to say yes, but there was work that needed to get done. “Nah. I’ll be fine.”

Chibs nodded and let Tara past him. He saw Chibs grab her arm for a moment, giving her a dark look. He could see Tara visibly flinch. Good.

After she was in, Chibs closed the door behind her as he went out to the garage.

He gestured for Tara to take the seat at the other end of the table. He wanted as much space between the two of them. “What do you want?” He tried to keep his voice neutral, but he could hear the derision in it.

“How did Thomas do last night?” Her voice was flat and he could see the Oxy glaze in her eyes.

His anger flared. “You mean before or after the nightmare?” His voice getting louder. “Abel had to take him upstairs because he wanted Mama. So whatever you allowed to happen to Thomas, Ella is picking up the pieces of another son you’ve manage to damage.”

Tara flinched again, and he could see the tears in her eyes. “Don’t even bother, you crying isn’t going to change a goddamn thing. You’ve made it pretty obvious you aren’t gonna tell us what the fuck brought you back here. You just expect us to deal with it when shit hits the fan. And then after we’ve solved your problem you’ll run away again.”

The tears were falling and it just made him want to slap her. “I just want what’s best for our son.”

Now he was really pissed. “What’s best?” He took a deep breath so he wouldn’t get up and fuckin’ beat her to death with his bare hands. “If you had really wanted what was best for Thomas you never would have fuckin’ left.” He stood up. “Well, you aren’t gonna be the one to decide what’s best for Thomas any longer. Me and Ella are.”

Tara found some backbone. “You fucking her?”

He shook his head. “None of your business. Last time I checked our divorce was final two years ago.”

More backbone from the junkie. “It is if Thomas is there.”

That was the last straw, he got up and stood over her. He could feel the fury coursing through his veins. “No. It’s. Not. Considering that Thomas barely looks at you. Considering when he had his nightmare last night, he didn’t want you, he wanted Ella. What ever happened to my son you were complicit in.” He forced himself to back away from her. “And Thomas’s behavior proves that.” He then gave her a cruel smile as a thought occurred to him. “All Ella’s gonna need is a little time and she’ll get everything that happened out of him. And my advice for when that happens, you should be very far away. You thought the beat down yesterday was bad, whatever she decides to do will make that look like a walk in the park. ‘Cause I’m tellin’ ya now, she won’t have me or Chibs doing her dirty work.” Then he leaned down and got right in her face. "Unlike you."

He turned around and left Tara sittin’ in the chapel as he went to the garage to hopefully lose himself in some mundane tasks out there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to those who've left comments and kudos!


	37. Chapter Thirty-Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little domesticity at Casa de Telford/Kinloch/Teller. (I keep hoping I'll get better at these...and then I don't. Sigh.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

After getting back from TM, with minutes to spare on the timer, she wasn’t prepared for the greeting she received from Thomas. When she had come in the front door, he had launched himself into her arms as if she had been gone for weeks. “Mama! You’re back!”

She laughed a little as she hugged him to her. “Told you I would be, didn’t I buddy?”

He nodded happily. “Yes. And the timer didn’t go off.”

She chuckled as she put him down, taking his hand. “That’s because Mama raced to get back to you and your brother.” Then she tickled him a little. “Because I know that Papa Sam and Uncle Patrick will spoil you guys while I’m gone.” She gave him a mock stern look, grateful that he giggled. “That’s me and Daddy’s job, right?” For a little while at least. She figured they had some time to make up for.

He grasped her hand tighter. “Right.”

When she made her way to the kitchen she could see the remnants of hot chocolate that had been made. She looked at her Dad. “Hot chocolate?”

He shook his head. “Patrick’s idea, go yell at him.” Her dad looked at Thomas. “Hey buddy, you ready to get back to helping Papa?” She looked at her dad’s laptop. Online poker.

She rolled her eyes. “Really, Dad. Poker?”

He nodded. “Learning numbers and counting, sis. This is educational.” He laughed. “You were at actual poker games at his age. You turned out fine.”

Thomas crawled up onto his Papa’s lap. “I’m helping Papa count!” Eyes just like his Daddy's looked up at her sparkling with pride.

She shook her head, knowing she was beat. “Well, you can help Papa for a few more minutes, then you and brother have to get into the bathtub, and then get dressed. Plus, Papa and Patrick have to leave in a little bit.”

He held onto her Dad. “No! Don’t want Papa and Patrick to leave!”

Her Dad hugged Thomas. “We’re just going to be gone for the day, bud. We’ll be back for dinner tonight. Can’t leave my boys yet can I?”

Thomas settled. “No, Abel says you're gonna take him to the football game.”

She broke in. “That’s right. Papa and Patrick are going to take Abel to the game the day after tomorrow. While they’re doing that, me and you will find something fun for us to do. Okay?”

He nodded. “Can Daddy and Uncle Chibs do fun stuff with us?”

She smiled at her Dad, whose eyes were sparkling. “I bet if you asked them nicely, they would.”

“Okay.” Thomas looked at his Papa. “C’mon Papa, let’s play cards.”

She laughed as she walked away, going to find Abel. She found him in his room, reading a book with Pup lying beside him. She sat down on the floor with them. “Hey honey, how’s it going?”

He smiled at her. “Good. I read Thomas a book while Papa was taking a shower and Uncle Patrick was on the phone. Then Thomas didn’t want to read any more, but I did, so Papa said I could read and he would do something with Thomas.”

She nodded. “How are you feeling?” She put an arm around him. “Even though Daddy and I are so happy to have Thomas home, I don’t want you to feel bad when he’s getting a lot of attention.”

Abel looked at her, his eyes big. “I’m happy Thomas is here.” His eyes darkened some. “But bad stuff happened to him and that makes me mad. I want to hurt the people who hurt my brother!”

She pulled her seven year old onto her lap. “Yes, honey, some bad stuff has happened to Thomas, but we don’t know what, and we don’t know who.” She hugged him. “And while I am so proud of how you want to protect your brother, me and Daddy will deal with the people who hurt Thomas.” She kissed his cheek. “You just keep doing what you’ve been doing. That’s the best way you can help Thomas. ‘Kay honey?”

“Okay. Is Thomas gonna share my room?” He looked up at her.

“What do you think we should do? I have an idea, but I want to see what you think first.” She smiled.

He thought for a minute. “Well…I think for now he should share with me, ‘cause he has bad dreams.”

She nodded. “That’s very thoughtful of you honey. But what about when Thomas doesn’t have bad dreams anymore?”

He sat there thinking. “I don’t know.”

She hugged him again. “Want to hear my idea?” He nodded. “I think when Thomas is ready, we move Daddy upstairs and make Daddy’s room into a room for your brother. Then you guys would be able to be close but still have your own space. What do you think?”

He smiled. “That sounds like a good plan, Mama.” Then he looked a little concerned. “But we won’t do that ‘til Thomas is okay right?”

She hugged him tighter. “Right.” She let out a deep breath. “Honey I am so proud of you. You are such a good guy, thinking about your brother like that.”

He hugged her back. “Like Daddy and Uncle Chibs.”

She laughed. “Right, like Daddy and Uncle Chibs.” No, not quite like his father and Filip. She put him off her lap and got up. “Let’s go get your brother. Time for baths and getting dressed.”

He took her hand and they went to go pry Thomas away from her Dad’s poker game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, constructive criticisms, or just to say hello. 
> 
> Thanks to those who've left kudos and comments!
> 
> Since at the moment, I'm at least days away from posting on any other story of mine, I'll probably post twice a day on this one until I can post on another fic I have going.


	38. Chapter Thirty-Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chibs has conversations with both Tig and Gemma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes found within are mine.

As noon approached Chibs started watching the clock. He knew that whatever had been said in chapel after he left hadn’t been good. Jackie came out lookin’ like he was ready to commit murder, and was snappy with everyone. He figured Jackie being away from the clubhouse and being with Ella and the boys was best for everyone. 

At one point Tiggy came over and leaned into him, voice low. “What the fuck?”

He didn’t look away from the motor he was working on. “Tara.”

Tig nodded. “Ya gonna go talk to him?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Doesn’t want to.”

Tig gave him a look. “Ya fuckin’ psychic? Ya haven’t even said two words to him since he came out.”

He shrugged. “Just know Tiggy.” He finally looked up at the SAA. “What now that we know that ye know, ye gonna try to tell us how to deal with shite?” He knew he was snapping at Tiggy, but with the worry he felt for Jackie, Ella, and Thomas, his nerves were a little frayed too.

Tig put a hand on his shoulder. “Calm the fuck down. That ain’t what I’m doin’ and ya know it.”

He sighed and looked at the other man. “I know brother.” He decided he was just gonna be completely fuckin’ honest. “Spend a lot of time watchin’ the both of ‘em. Know when they need to talk, know when to leave ‘em be. And this is a time to leave him be.”

Tig nodded. “Okay.” He turned to go back to what he had been workin’ on, then turned back, walking back over. He lowered his voice. “Maybe ya should call La, get her and the boys here sooner.”

He looked up at the clock. Eleven-thirty. “No. She’s probably already at lunch with the boys, and I’m positive that she’d tell me to fuck off.” He snorted. “If she could figure out how to put food into Thomas twenty four hours a day she would.” He sighed. “Lad is as light as a feather.”

He could see Tig blanch a little at that. “Poor kid.”

He nodded in agreement. “Yeah.” Then went back to the motor. “But he’s home now, and we’ll get the lad put back together.”

“Yeah, we will.” Tig patted his shoulder and went back to work.

As noon grew closer he could see Jackie giving glances to the lot every few minutes, and that Gemma had made her way out of the office. He walked over to Gem. “Gettin’ anxious?”

She smiled at him. “Somethin’ like that. Just want to know how his morning went. When I called earlier, they were in the bathtub.” She laughed. “Sounded pretty raucous.”

He pulled her into the office. “Raucous isn’t the word Gem, it was full blown little guy chaos.” He pulled out his phone to show her the pic that Ella had sent to him. He was sure Jackie got it too. It was both boys in the tub, covered in colored bubbles with both dogs trying to get in the tub with ‘em.

Gem laughed at the picture. “You’re right chaos is a far better word.” She looked up at the clock. “They should be here anytime. Should get ready to go.”

This is why he pulled her in the office. “Nope. Yer stayin’ put.” She raised an eyebrow at him. He simply looked back at her. “Let the four of them have some time. They need it.”

She nodded, looking at him appraisingly. “Okay. But I’m still gonna to be at dinner tonight. I want Thomas to know that I’m gonna be in his life a lot.”

He smiled at her. “That’s fine, Gem. But this afternoon is just the four of ‘em.”

She looked at him again, he could tell there was somethin’ else she wanted to say. “Spit it out Gemma before ye choke on it.”

She chuckled at him, shakin’ her head. “They’re lucky to have ya, ya know?”

He smiled back. “Think we’re all pretty lucky.” Then it occurred to him. The question Jackie had asked Ella yesterday in her office. “Can I ask ye somethin’ Gem?”

She smiled. “Fire away.”

He sat there for a minute, trying to frame his question. “So Tiggy told ye, huh?”

She shook her head and smiled. “No.”

He stared at her. “How?”

She laughed. “One morning about six months after that cunt took off, Abel spent the night at my place ‘cause I was gonna take him shopping in Lodi, we had to stop in at the old house. Abel wanted a juice to take with him. Found the three of ya in bed, dead to the world.” He watched as her face grew softer. “Jackson looked so peaceful and so happy. He hasn’t looked that peaceful since before my Thomas died.”

He knew he looked shocked. And he was speechless. He just sat there for a minute, thinking. While they would always have to be circumspect, they wouldn’t have to worry about disapproving attitudes. 

Gemma brought him out of his head. “Can I ask you somethin’?”

He laughed. “Sure, Gem.”

“Does Abel know?” She was looking at him, eyes serious.

He shrugged. “Kind of.” He lit a cigarette. “He knows that when I’m gone, his Da sleeps upstairs. Told him it’s ‘cause his Mama doesn’t like to sleep by herself and she’s too big for a stuffed animal.” Gemma chuckled. He smiled. “And when Tara first left, there were a lot of nights that ended with both Jackie and Abel crawling in with us.” He looked at her again, his voice becoming more serious. “Lad knows that he’s loved and taken care of, that’s all that really matters, isn’t it?”

She nodded, walking over to him and giving him a hug. “It is. C’mon, they should be here anytime.” Then grinned at him. “And if Tara is outside, ya may have to be ready to corral your old lady.”

He opened the office door. “After ye.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, constructive criticisms, etc...
> 
> Thank you to all who've left comments and kudos! They brighten my day!


	39. Chapter Thirty-Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ella and the boys arrive at TM.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

He looked at his cel. Little after noon. He looked over at Chibs, who was standing with his mom. Chibs noticed him and gave a slight smile. He decided to walk over to the two of them, bracing himself to have to tell his mother she wasn’t invited on this afternoon’s excursion.

“She’s runnin’ late.” He looked at Chibs. “She call you at all?”

Chibs shook his head. “Just when she sent the pic of the boys in the tub.”

He laughed. “Yeah, got that one too. Wonder how long it took to clean up?”

His mom laughed. “Oh I’m sure you’ll hear all about it this afternoon.”

He looked at her, surprised. “Thought you’d be demanding to come along.”

She shook her head. “Got too much work baby. I’ll be over for dinner later.”

He looked at Chibs who simply smiled at him. He had the feelin’ he owed the other man a thank you later. Then Chibs smile disappeared. He followed the dark eyes to where they had landed. Fuck. Tara had decided to come outside.

Chibs patted him on his shoulder as he made his way over to Hap, whispering in the man’s ear. He could see Hap smile and then make his way over to where Tara was sittin’.

When Chibs walked back over, he looked at him. Chibs smiled. “Don’t want Tara near Ella or the lads.”

Both he and Gemma nodded. Chibs continued to look at him, he knew that Chibs was curious about what had happened between him and Tara. He gave the man a look trying to tell him that he would talk about it later. Chibs nodded.

His mom jerked her head to the entrance to the lot. Ella’s navy blue Range Rover was pulling in. Once it came to a stop, he saw the passenger door open and Tig’s Pit jumped out, runnin’ over to her owner. Tig had gotten down on the ground so the mutt could jump all over him.

He laughed as he walked over to the Rover, where Ella had gotten out and was helping Thomas out of his car seat. He went over to the other side of the back and helped Abel get out. “Hey little man. Did you and Thomas have a good mornin’?”

Abel looked at him with a smile. “Yeah.” Then ran towards the garage to greet everyone.

He walked around the car to where Ella had already picked Thomas up and was heading towards his mom and Chibs. Thomas smiling. “Grandma! Uncle Chibs!” He wiggled out of her arms and ran over to where they were standing, arms out to be picked up. Chibs scooped him up. “Well hello lad. Did ye have a good mornin’ at home?” He loved the fact that as always, Chibs never blinked, just took the situation and rolled with it.

“Yeah! Papa taught me how to count big numbers!” Thomas had a smile that wouldn’t stop, and he could feel the black cloud that had been hovering over him since his chat with Tara, dissipate. “Then Mama gave us a bath and that was fun! It was all colored! And then we had lunch at this place Mama took us to. I had chicken strips and French fries! And Mama said if I ate it all we could have ice cream later. So I ate it all!”

He was laughing as Ella patted Thomas on the back. “Whoa, buddy. Take a breath.” He did, looking at Ella.

“Okay Mama.” He hugged Chibs and then wanted to give his Grandma a hug, so Chibs passed him to her.

He stood by Ella, leaning over. “And Papa taught him to count big numbers?”

Ella grinned. “And probably some multiplication. They were playing online poker.”

He laughed, hard. God, it felt good after the morning he’d had. He looked at Thomas who was holding out his arms to him, so that he could be picked up. “So counting was all Papa taught ya?”

Thomas shook his head. “No.” His son gave a little smirk. “If you have a pair of twos, and there is an ace on the board, you fold.”

He, Chibs, and Gemma laughed while Ella looked vaguely embarrassed. He put an arm around her. “No worries, darlin’. Boy has to learn that at some point. Better sooner than later.”

She shook her head and walked towards the clubhouse. “Yeah, yeah.” She looked over her shoulder. “Need to talk to Bobby for a sec, then we can go.”

He followed her with Thomas. “Okay, while you’re talkin’ to Bobby, I’m gonna change, then we can go.” He noticed that they were nearly to Tara. Certainly close enough for her to hear. “Hey bud, you wanna go with me while I change into clean clothes or do you wanna go with Mama while she talks to Uncle Bobby?”

Thomas didn’t hesitate. “Go with Mama to talk to Uncle Bobby.” While he would have preferred that Thomas would have chosen to go with him, choosing Ella hurt Tara more. And at this point, if he couldn’t kill her, he’d settle for making her as miserable as possible. Maybe they’d get lucky and she’d OD.

He handed Thomas to Ella, who didn’t even acknowledge Tara’s presence. Thomas wrapped his arms around Ella’s neck. “What are you gonna talk to Uncle Bobby about?”

She hugged him. “On Friday’s after the big boys have their meeting, there’s a big party. I need to talk to Uncle Bobby about food for it. It’s our job.”

He nearly choked on his laughter at Thomas’s question. “Can I help? Can it be my job too?”

He looked at Ella, who was trying not to laugh. “Well, honey. Friday’s are a big people only dinner. It’s not for little guys.” She hugged him when she saw his face fall. “But you can help me at home, be my assistant cook. How about that?”

Thomas nodded happily. “Okay!” Then realized everything she had said. “But I can’t come on Friday?” His face falling again.

He sighed, he had the feeling that they would be doing this a lot. Two steps forward, one step back. Ella looked at him, her eyes calm. 

She smiled at Thomas. “No honey, it’s for big people only. But, this morning Papa and Uncle Pat said that if you wanted, they would take you and Abel to see a movie and get some dinner, while Mama, Daddy, and Uncle Chibs are here. How does that sound? That sound okay to you, movie and dinner with Papa and Uncle Pat?” Thomas nodded, she went on. “And I bet you could get Grandma to tag along if you asked her. That sound good?”

His son nodded, eyes wide. “Do you think Papa would get me popcorn?” Good to see their boy had his priorities straight.

He laughed and patted Thomas’s shoulder. “I’m positive he will buddy, but I would be careful, Papa is a popcorn thief.” Abel had made that accusation on a number of occasions after being taken to the movies by his grandfather.

Thomas giggled and as they reached the clubhouse door. When they got inside, Bobby was sitting at the bar, working on the club books. Thomas wiggled out of Ella’s arms and ran over, crawling up on the stool next to Bobby. “Hi Uncle Bobby. Mama needs to talk to you about food. For the party.” Bobby grinned down at his youngest son.

Ella looked at him and chuckled. “I may have just gained a personal assistant.” He was laughing as he was nodding. She pushed him towards the dorms. “Go get changed.” She glanced over as Tara came into the clubhouse. “I’d like to get out of here and on the road as soon as possible.” She gave Tara another deadly glare. “This is already gonna take forever, he has nothing.”

He put a hand on her arm to calm her down. Then made a decision. “Hey bud.” Thomas looked over. “Why don’t we let Mama talk to Bobby and you can come help me, okay?”

He noticed that when Thomas looked over and saw Tara, his little face grew cold. When he went over to Thomas, blocking his view of Tara, Thomas visibly relaxed. Both Bobby and Ella nodded to him to take Thomas and get him out. Ella put a hand on his lower back, since it was only Bobby and Tara in the clubhouse at the moment. He knew she trusted Bobby and didn’t give a fuck about Tara. “Thomas, take Daddy to change, we have a lot to do this afternoon. Can you do that for me, please?”

“Okay.” Thomas lifted his arms to be picked up, which he did gladly. “Let’s go Daddy!”

“Yes, sir.” He started to walk with Thomas in his arms to his dorm room. As he got ready to open the door to the dorms, he saw Chibs enter the clubhouse. Good, now he wouldn’t have to worry about Ella going medieval.

By the time he and Thomas came back down, Tara must have retreated to her room, because Chibs, Bobby, and Ella were they only three in the room. When they saw him and Thomas, they put out the joint they had been smoking.

After saying good-bye to everyone, and getting the boys back into the Rover, they got on the road. He looked over to Ella. “Where we headin’ darlin’?”

She looked at him with a smile. “Folsom, the outlet malls. Think we can get everything there.”

He nodded and looked back at the boys. “Okay, you guys ready?”

Both boys laughed. “Yeah! Let’s go.” He was positive that neither boy really knew where they were goin’, or what they were doin’, they were just happy to be together doin’ anything.

He smiled at Ella, reaching for her hand. She took it and squeezed, smiling back. “Let’s get goin’ Daddy.” 

“Yes, ma’am” As he headed the Rover towards Folsom and one of his least favorite activities, shopping. The things he did for love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to those who've left kudos and comments!


	40. Chapter Thirty-Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax is up early a couple of mornings later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Jax laid in bed, thinking over the last couple of days. Other than a few minor hiccups, things had gone well, until last night. He looked over at the clock, six in the fuckin’ morning, on a Saturday and he was awake.

He looked over to see Thomas sleeping between Ella and Chibs. He had another nightmare during the night and this time Thomas hadn’t woken Abel up. He had come to his room askin’ to be taken upstairs. After he had done that, Thomas had wanted him to stay like the first night, but when Chibs made to go downstairs, Thomas had flipped out, not wanting the man to leave. So Chibs had gotten back into bed, kissed Thomas on the head and turned the light back out.

Knowing that he wouldn’t be going back to sleep, he crawled out of bed, heading for the kitchen. He put on a pot of coffee, and went into the family room, turning the TV on to ESPN, not really caring what was on, it was noise. And sports noise was better than world going to hell in a handbasket noise that Ella usually had it on.

The nightmare Thomas had during the night had been similar to the first one, except in this one it was Mama that the bad man hurt. He was certain that Thomas believed that the ‘bad man’ was coming. But so far, no one had really tried to question the boy about the ‘bad man’. They had wanted Thomas to settle in a little more, to understand that he was home, for good.

Last night, while Gemma and Sam were out with the boys, the three of them had snuck out of the Friday after church party. Tig had assured them that he would keep an eye on Tara. Not to worry, get out of there and go enjoy a quiet house.

While the three of them were looking forward to a quiet house, it wasn’t for the reason Tig had in mind. It allowed them to talk about what was going on without havin’ to keep lookin’ over their shoulders for kids or other family. As Ella said, as much as they were loved, Gemma and her Dad weren’t members of this household and they had no say over what happened.

They had decided that on Monday after Jonathan dropped the papers off, they would confront her. They would have Gemma pick Abel up at school and take him and Thomas back to the house and wait there. They would confront her at the clubhouse.

He looked up at noises coming from the kitchen. Then he saw the patio light go on, Ella. With the bandages still needed on her wrists during the day, Chibs had told her she needed to stay out of the pool. Which he knew was driving her crazy. The last few mornings she had gotten up and sat outside with her first cup of coffee, staring at the pool. He knew her early morning laps was like getting on a bike and riding for him and Chibs. A place to think. Or to not think and just be.

He wandered out there, sitting beside her. “Sorry if I woke ya up, darlin’. Tried not to.”

She looked at him like he was stupid. “No, you didn’t. Thomas did.” She laughed. “Boy kicks like a mule.”

He laughed. “Thanks for the warning. He still up there?”

She nodded. “Yep. He and Filip were still sleeping soundly.” She shook her head. “God, I’d love to sleep like that.” She lit a cigarette.

He chuckled. “I know, darlin’. But at this point you’d just freak all of us out if ya did. We’ve gotten used to you bein’ up at all hours.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Yeah. When I was younger, it was awesome. I could go out, see shows, party with my friends, and still be awake enough to study until dawn. Now, not so awesome. Although, the fact that I’m easily woken works out well now that I have kids.” She laughed lightly. “Wow. You know, three years ago, I would have laughed in the face of anyone who would tell me that I’d end up with two.”

He looked at her closely. A part of him always felt like they had pulled her into a life she really didn’t belong in. She could go anywhere, do anything, and she stayed in Charming. “Regretting that?”

She looked at him, hurt all over her face, with more than a trace of anger. “Fuck no!” She put down her cigarette, got up and straddled him, so she could be nose to nose. “I’m going to say this once, so listen up.” He nodded, she was using what Chibs semi-jokingly referred to as her ‘royal’ voice. The words were clipped and the English accent that was usually muted was at it's strongest. It was the voice that she used when she wanted to get a point across. She put her hands on either side of his face, and pinned him with her eyes. “I am exactly where I want to be. I am with exactly who I want to be with. And if you’re thinking about what you think I gave up to be here, get it out of your head.” She leaned her forehead to his, still looking him in the eyes. “Because of you and Filip, I have my sons, I have a home. Not just a place where my stuff lived. Even with all of the downside to SAMCRO, I am happier than I have ever been.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in. “You can’t even begin to know how much I love Filip, you, the boys.” She chuckled. “Gemma. The guys.” Still chuckling. “Just try to get rid of me.”

He kissed her, hard. Not caring if anyone came out and saw. “We love you too. And Chibs would track you to the ends of the earth if ya left, so it would be better if ya stayed.” She smiled and laid her head into his neck.

They sat there like that for a few minutes, until they heard Ella’s phone go off. He groaned. “Does that thing ever stop going off?”

She grinned at him. “Be grateful I figured out how to silent the text and email alerts, otherwise that thing would make noise twenty-four, seven. And it’s your mom, or should be.” She laughed. “It’s about breakfast time. She’ll be wanting to know if she needs to bring anything.” She got up to head for her phone in the kitchen.

He grinned, getting up and following her. “Yeah, tell her to bring OJ. Thomas and I drank the last of it before we came up last night.”

She nodded, relaying the info to Gemma. While still on the phone, Chibs had come down with Thomas in his arms. He smiled at the sight. Thomas’s hair was dark enough that they could pass as father and son. And he found that didn't bother him in the least.

Thomas reached out to Ella after she had put the phone back on the table. She took him from Chibs, giving the older man a kiss before setting Thomas in the breakfast nook. “Morning honey. Did you get some sleep in the big bed?”

Thomas nodded. “I’m hungry. Can I have breakfast?”

She rubbed his shoulder. “Sure. Do you just want a little bit, that way you’ll still be able to eat when we all have breakfast?”

Thomas thought for a minute. “Okay. Just a little bit.”

She nodded at him. “How about some toast with peanut butter?” Thomas nodded.

As Ella started getting that together for Thomas, Chibs looked at them. “So, brother is goin’ with Papa and Patrick today, so what’s the plan with the littlest Teller?”

Ella shrugged, looking at Thomas. “Thomas and I decided we were gonna freestyle it today. I do have to go into the shop at noon, to do the bank run for Twink, after that, no idea.” She put toast and a glass of milk in front of Thomas, who dug right in.

He looked at Chibs. “We gotta meet with Gaalan at ten-thirty, but after that I think we’re clear.” He had a sudden idea, grinning at Chibs and Ella. “Hey Thomas.” His son looked up at him, mouth full of toast.

Before Thomas could open his mouth Ella looked at the boy. “Swallow first, then talk. Trust me honey, it works better that way.” The boy did what he had been told.

Thomas looked at him. “What Daddy?”

He looked at his son. “Wanna go on a ride this afternoon while Abel is at the game with Papa and Patrick?” Ella and Chibs started to laugh at the boy’s reaction.

Thomas jumped out of the breakfast nook and ran over to Ella. “Can we!? Please?”

Ella looked over at him and Chibs, they both nodded that it would be safe. She looked back to Thomas. “Only if you eat all of your lunch. Okay?”

“I will! I promise!” Thomas hugged her and then ran over hugging him and Chibs in turn. Then tried to run to go wake Abel up. Chibs caught him by the arm and swung him up, Thomas squealing with delight at the small ride. “Now, let yer brother sleep. We’ll get him up the closer we get to breakfast. How about we go watch some cartoons ‘til breakfast gets goin’, then ye can help Mama and Grandma.”

Thomas snuggled into Chibs. “Okay.” He smiled as Ella handed Chibs a cup of coffee as he and Thomas walked past her, thinking of what she had said earlier that morning, she was where she belonged. With them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! Feedback would be lovely.
> 
> Big thanks to those who've left kudos and comments!


	41. Chapter Forty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short Jax POV chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> This is a short transition chapter. When I post the next one, please pay attention to tag additions.

After the chaos of breakfast and getting everyone ready for the day, he and Chibs gave Abel a hug good-bye telling him to have fun and be good. The three of them leaving early so they could stop for lunch before the game started at two.

He watched as Thomas sat in the front window as the car pulled out. “You okay buddy?”

Thomas nodded. “They’re gonna come back, right?” 

He sighed a little, Thomas wasn’t really clinging, but he worried that people wouldn’t come back when they left. Just another reason to kill Tara and just be done. “Yeah, buddy but it won’t be until late.”

Thomas nodded and wandered back to the kitchen where his Mama and Grandma were hanging out, doing some online shopping for more things for him. Chibs walked over and threw an arm around his shoulders. Even with Gemma knowing, and being fine with it, they figured it was best to keep it out of her face.

“Ready to go deal with Gaalan, find out what he wants?” Giving him a squeeze.

“Yeah.” They walked back to the kitchen, saying good-bye. As they were doing so, Gemma said her good-byes also, heading to the shop for a few hours.

When they left, they both could see Thomas in the front window. Ella standing right behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, constructive criticism, whatever...
> 
> Thanks to those who've left kudos and comments! They are much appreciated! 
> 
> And since this chapter is soooo short, today may be a three chapter day!


	42. Chapter Forty-One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a very bad turn. Tig POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. Any and all mistakes are mine.
> 
> Please pay attention to new tags. While not pertinent to this chapter, they will be very soon.

It was almost noon by the time they were done with the meeting with Gaalan. More shit about easing back and setting the Irish up with SAMDINO. SAMCRO would still store and supervise, but SAMDINO would be taking over buys. The shop's custom bike business, along with the porn gave them enough legit cover for the escorts and frankly most of SAMCRO was over the whole arms merchant thing. He got it, there were more kids around the upper echelon that the prospect of prison or death wasn't nearly as palatable as it once was. That was fine by him. They had all lost too much to risk losing what they had gained.

After about an hour into the meet, Tig could see both Jax and Chibs start to get antsy. He had nearly laughed. The two had already told him the plan for the afternoon. He could see neither man was into what was going on. Which proved his earlier theory about how the third generation of SAMCRO had affected the second.

They were about three blocks from Ella’s shop, sitting at a stop light, when both Chibs and Jax’s phones went off. He knew that could only be one thing. Ella in trouble. Not waiting for the other two, he took off, heading for the back of the shop. He was about a block away when he heard what he knew to be gunshots. Most people would hear that noise and think firework or car, but for him it was unmistakable.

By the time he had reached the back of the shop, he could hear Jax and Chibs’s bikes pulling up out front. Along with sheriff sirens. He pulled his keys out of his pocket, searching for the backdoor key that Twink had given him a few weeks ago. The other reason he couldn’t say shit to Jax and Chibs. Every once in a while, it was fun to give the Englishman a ride. And he knew that Ella was quite aware of it. He was amazed she hadn’t at least told Chibs. Then again, she'd known for over a year that he'd conducted an extremely inebriated interrogation and hadn't said a word to either Chibs or Jax. He could hear her now. "You're my biker BFF TIggy, you don't rat out your BFF's."

He let himself in the back, and promptly ran into Ellie. She ran to him, giving him a quick hug. “Some douchebag tried to snatch Thomas. Ella kicked him in the balls and shoved Thomas inside. He’s in the office with Twink. Leah’s out front, she called the cops. Twink called Jax. I called Chibs. Then while Ella was fightin’ the douchebag, he pulled a gun. He shot her.” The girl was nearly breathless, but keeping her shit together. Ope and Piney would be proud.

He nodded. “Stay back here, doll. Don’t call your mom, don’t call Gemma. I’ll come back and get ya when it’s safe.”

Ellie nodded and started to shove him out front. When he got out there he could see some dark haired yuppie lookin’ guy holding a 9mm. Both Jax and Chibs had guns pulled, pointed at the guy, as did Roosevelt and his guys. He couldn’t see Ella, just the panic on Chibs and Jax’s faces. As far as he could tell, the sheriff wasn’t havin’ much luck in getting the guy to surrender.

Chibs saw him through the window. He gave him a signal to get the prick to look at him. Chibs nodded, and as he saw the Scot talking, the prick turned towards the VP. When the guy did that, he stepped out of the store and put his own 9mm to the prick’s head. “As much as I would love to see your brains all over this street, that’s not gonna get us the answers we want.” He pulled the gun out of the prick’s shaking hand.

The second he had put his hand on the stupid fuck’s gun, Chibs ran over to Ella who was unconscious on the ground, losing a lot of blood. The Scot leaned over her, putting his hands over the wounds, trying to apply pressure. “C’mon luv, ye gotta stay with me. Gotta wake up, c’mon, show me those Glasgow gray eyes.” He nearly cringed at the pleading tone of Chibs voice, his Scottish accent thickened to the point of nearly making the words he was saying incomprehensible.

Roosevelt came over, cuffing the douchebag, as Ellie had called him. “Floyd said he tried to take the boy.” He looked at Jax, who was nearly fucking vibrating with anger. “Think I need to talk to someone for a second, I’ll be right back.” The sheriff turned his back, walking over to Floyd.

Jax looked at him and he nodded. If Roosevelt was going to turn a blind eye, might as well take advantage. And if Jax wouldn't, he would. Simple as that. Jax swung, hitting the prick flush on the jaw, sending him to the ground. “You try to take my son, you hurt my girl. Be grateful the sheriff got here when he did.”

Roosevelt came back to the prick yelling about abuse in police custody. Roosevelt gave him an innocent look. “Everyone out here saw you fall. Shut up.” Looking at him and Jax. “The ambulance should be here any second. I’ll let Chibs go with her, but I need you two to stick around for a few, fill me in. I know the kid that he tried to snatch was Thomas.” The second he said the kid’s name, Jax took off into the store.

Tig nodded. With everything that had just happened, he had the feeling he was in charge of SAMCRO at the moment.

Not long after the ambulance arrived, it took off towards St. Thomas. The only thing he knew was that there were two wounds, close together, both through and through from the looks of them. Floyd came over saying that when Ella fell, she had also hit her head against the pavement. He could see Floyd was still holding the ancient shotgun he kept in the barbershop.

After he told Roosevelt what little he knew, he went back into the store, where both Ellie and Leah were being questioned. Ellie gave him a smile that said she was fine. He nodded to her and went into Ella and Twink’s office. Both Jax and Thomas were on the couch crying. Well, Thomas sobbing, and Jax with tears streaming down his face. He pulled Twink aside. “I’m gonna go get Gemma.” He nodded towards Jax and the boy. “Take them to the hospital. Chibs went with Ella, he’ll be there alone.”

Twink nodded. “You and Gemma may want to stop and pick up some clean clothes for Filip. What about Abel? Do we let them go on to the game? While that may be better for the lad, I have the feeling that Sam and Patrick won’t feel the same.”

“Let me talk to Gemma, she has Sam’s number. I think she should be the one to call him anyway.” Tig looked at the man’s delicate features, seeing the worry in them. Sometimes he forgot that Twink and Ella went back almost forty years. “You okay?”

The man gave him a pained smile. “No, but I have to be,” looking at Jax and Thomas, “for their sakes.” He looked into Twink’s green eyes, seeing the resolve in them.

Nodding he walked over and sat down by Jax, who was holding a still sobbing Thomas, and looking like he had no idea what to do. He put an arm around the younger man, “I’m gonna go get Gemma, bring her to the hospital. Twink is gonna drive you and Thomas there.”

Jax barely registered what he said. Jax turned, looking at him, his eyes hard. “Have Happy bring Tara. I want to know why this just happened.” Jax rubbed Thomas’s back. “Thomas, Twink is gonna take you to get your face cleaned up and then we’ll go see about Mama.” Jax handed Thomas to Twink, who left the office, heading to the restroom with the crying boy. Not like there were any customers out there. The shop was officially closed for the day.

When the office only had the two of them in it, Jax turned to him, the hardness gone. “She’s hurt because of me.” He could barely look at Jax’s face as the younger man’s chin quivered. “Because of me.” 

He caught Jax before he could slide to the floor. He pulled him back up and sat him on the couch. He let Jax cry for a minute and then looked at him. “Ella got shot because of the prick that shot her and Tara. If that cunt had been honest, you and Chibs never would have let her and Thomas be out and about by themselves today.” He shook his head. “And Ella would fuckin’ kick your ass if she heard you sayin’ that. She protected her kid, don’t demean that, she doesn’t deserve it. She did what she had to do to keep Thomas safe, and I fuckin’ guarantee that’s all that fuckin’ mattered to her.”

Jax nodded, barely looking at him. He figured he’d get back to the practical. “I’ll run Gemma by the house, get some clothes for Chibs, he’s probably gonna need ‘em.”

Jax shook his head. “No, I’ll have Twink drive us by. I’ll need to get some things for Thomas.”

He nodded. “What about Sam, Pat, and Abel?”

He watched as Jax flinched. “Shit.” Jax shook his head. “Fuck, they just slipped my mind totally. I don’t even have cel numbers for either of ‘em.”

He patted Jax’s shoulder. “Think your Mom has Sam’s. Want me to have her call?”

Jax nodded. “Yeah.” 

Twink came back in with Thomas, looking at Jax. “Do you have keys to Ella’s Rover? It has the car seat. I think it would be better to take it.” Jax fished his keys out of his pocket, finding the Rover keys and handing them to the Englishman.

Tig pulled Twink aside as Thomas buried himself in his Dad’s arms. “Run them by the house first, he wants to get clothes for Chibs, and my guess stuff to keep Thomas and later Abel, occupied. I’m going to get Gem.”

Twink nodded and turned back to the two Teller’s. “Let’s go lads.” Lifting Thomas so that Jax could get up.

He looked at Jax. “We’ll see you at the hospital.” Then turned to go out the back to where his bike was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, constructive criticisms, etc...
> 
> Thanks to all who have left kudos and comments. They are much appreciated.


	43. Chapter Forty-Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tig tells the guys what happened. Oh, and Gemma too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. Any and all mistakes are mine.

Tig pulled into the lot. He could see Waylon and Bobby sitting out at the picnic tables with a couple of croweaters. After he got his bike parked he hurried over. Looking at the croweaters, he barked. “Go away.” They left.

Bobby looked at him, knowing something bad had happened. “Three of ya left, one came back. What the fuck is goin’ on Tig?”

He looked at Waylon. “Is that fucking cunt inside?” 

Waylon nodded. “In her room.”

Looking at Bobby. “Go get Happy and Juice. Now.”

Bobby went in and got the two, when they came out Happy looked at him. “Who got shot?”

Everyone else looked at Happy. Happy looked at the others. “Only one thing puts that look on Tig’s face.” Happy looked at him again. “Who got shot?”

“Ella.” He saw the looks of shock on all of their faces. “Some prick tried to snatch Thomas when she stopped at the shop to do the Saturday bank run. She got Thomas inside, and I guess was arguing with the prick and he pulled out a gun and fuckin’ shot her, two through and throughs to her left side. Chibs went to the hospital with La, Twink is takin’ Jax and Thomas by the house to get some things to keep the kid occupied and some clothes for Chibs, from what little I fuckin’ saw, he’s gonna have a lot of blood on him.” He took a breath. “I’m gonna go tell Gem and take her to the hospital.” He looked at Happy. “Jax wants you to bring Tara to the hospital.”

Happy nodded. “Did he say what kind of shape she had to be in?”

Tig gave the other man a fierce smile. “She needs to be able to talk, but I don’t think he’d mind if ya scared her some.”

Happy nodded. “I can do scared.”

The others chuckled, a bit of black humor on a shit day. He watched as the others went back into the clubhouse to tell Phil and Rat was goin’ on and to probably hold down the fort. He made his way over to the office, letting himself in.

Gemma smiled when she saw him. “Jax and Chibs go back to the house?” Then she really looked at him. “What happened?”

In Gemma’s presence, he lost it a little. He could feel the tears stinging his eyes. He wiped them away. “Some prick tried to snatch Thomas, Ella got him into the shop away from the guy. But he shot her.”

Gemma shot out of the chair heading for her purse. He grabbed her. “Hey, slow down. Twink is running Jax and Thomas by the house to get clothes for Chibs and stuff to keep Thomas occupied. Jax doesn’t have Sam’s number, so he wants you to call.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.” She narrowed her eyes. “This because of the fuckin’ cunt?”

He nodded. “Jax thinks so. I think so.”

Gemma nodded. “Good enough for me.” Starting to head towards the clubhouse.

He grabbed her arm. “We don’t have time for that shit right now.” He pulled her closer. “Jax wants Happy to bring her to the hospital. He wants some fuckin’ answers.”

Gemma sighed. “Fine. Let’s go then, I’ll call Sam on the way.”

He hung his head for a minute and then followed her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Huge thanks to those who've left kudos and comments!


	44. Chapter Forty-Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy follows Jax's order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> Today will probably be another flurry of chapters. Just a warning.

Happy stopped outside of the room they had put Tara in. He took a deep breath, tryin’ to make sure he was calm enough to not kill her. While he wasn’t as close to La as Tig or Bobby, he did actually like her. And more important, he respected her.

He opened the door, the Doc semi-passed out in an Oxy haze. She barely lifted her head when he entered the room. He kicked the bed. “Get the fuck up.”

She looked at him again. “What?” Her voice sounded like it was barely connected to her brain. 

He leaned over, slapping her face lightly. “I said get the fuck up.”

She was still hazy. “Why?” Trying to turn over.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her up. “Because I said so.”

She pulled her arm away. “I’m not a fucking croweater, leave me alone.” Laying back down on the bed.

"No. You're lower than a croweater. You're a junkie ex-wife." He grabbed her arm again, this time yanking her up. “Let me put it this way. Jax said so.”

He let her stop long enough to get into some shoes and then shoved her out to one of the garage vans. When she saw the van, her eyes got wide. “Where are you taking me?”

He wasn’t gonna be the one to tell her what happened, so he answered simply. “Where Jax wants you to go.” He shoved her in the van through the driver’s side, climbing in behind her. “Try to get away, you won’t like how it ends.” He started the van and started driving towards the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. Please, feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Huge thanks to all who've left kudos and comments, especially WillowFaerie82! You guys are awesome!


	45. Chapter Forty-Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twink gets Jax and Thomas to the hospital. Jax and Chibs talk to the surgeon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> I have no medical training, so I'm totally winging it here. Same with the lawyer stuff.

After stopping at the house and getting clothes for Chibs and a few things to keep Thomas occupied, they made it to the hospital. After parking the Rover, Twink turned and looked at him. “She’ll be fine, Jackson.”

He looked back at Thomas, who, while he had stopped crying, hadn’t said a word. He knew his son was in shock and he had no fucking idea how to help him. He looked back at Twink, the Englishman’s green eyes conveying the same worry he felt. “Yeah. She will be.” He looked back at Thomas. “I know she will be.”

When they made their way to the surgical waiting room, he could see Chibs, sitting alone, head hanging down. He could feel his heart in his throat. Twink took Thomas from him. “Why don’t you talk to him alone for a minute? That way you can find out what’s going on.”

He nodded taking the bag of clothes that Twink had gathered from the house. He could see the blood on Chibs cut, jacket, and jeans. He didn’t want Thomas to see all of that blood. Ella’s blood. Mama’s blood. Who the fuck knew what seeing it would do to his son?

He could feel his knees weaken as he sat down in the chair next to Chibs. He could see the clipboard with paperwork sitting on Chibs other side. He figured they’d have Twink fill those out in a bit. He put a hand on Chibs leg. “Brought you clothes to change into.”

The Scot said nothing, continued to stare at the floor. He squeezed his leg a little harder. “Chibs, let’s get you out of those clothes. Don’t want Thomas or Abel to see all that blood.”

The man still said nothing, but did allow him to pull him up and take him by the arm. He grabbed a passing nurse. “Is there somewhere he can go get out of these clothes?”

The nurse looked at all of the blood and directed them down the hall. “Just duck into an empty room and lock the door.” She walked away before he could thank her.

He took Chibs down the hall and into an empty room. He gently shoved him in, following. He locked the door and then turned to Chibs, who was looking at him heartbroken. “She didn’t wake up Jackie. Not at all. She wouldn’t wake up for me.” And then started to shake.

He went over, gently taking Chibs cut off, then the jacket. He could see the shirts he was wearing were fine. He then sat Chibs down in the chair that was in the room. He got his boots off and then his belt. 

He looked at Chibs, who was still staring off into nowhere. “C’mon, ya need to get these pants off.”

Chibs looked at him like he was seeing him for the first time, then looked down at his bloody jeans. “Yeah.” He backed away a little so that Chibs could stand, getting out of the bloody jeans. He handed the man the clean pair that Twink had grabbed when they stopped by the house.

Getting into clean clothes seemed to bring Chibs back a little. “How’s the littlest Teller?”

He shook his head. “After sobbing himself out, he hasn’t said a word.” He could feel the tears in his eyes. “He’s in shock and I don’t know how to make it better.”

Chibs had the same tears. “All we can do is tell the lad that Mama will be okay, and it isn’t his fault.”

He nodded and then startled a little as there was a knock on the locked door. He went over and opened it. Tig. He let the man in. “What?”

Tig looked at both of them. “There’s a doctor out there lookin’ for one of ya. They need to ask a couple of questions.” Tig didn’t look happy.

Chibs nodded and walked past them both, going to the waiting room. He and Tig followed. When they got to the room, there was a doctor in surgical scrubs standing there. He could see that his Mom had taken Thomas from Twink. And that Thomas was back to crying.

He went and stood by Chibs as the doctor told them that there had been two wounds. Both had been through and through, that she had lost a lot of blood and that one of the bullets had nicked what the doctor called the descending colon. Then dropped a huge bombshell.

The doctor looked at Chibs. “Sir, you didn’t tell us that your wife was pregnant.”

He and Chibs looked at each other in shock. Chibs looking back at the doctor. “Didn’t know. How far?”

The doctor looked at them. “We did an ultrasound, our best guess is eight to twelve weeks. And there are two heartbeats.”

Chibs leaned back on the wall, trying to take in all of the information. He looked back at the doctor. “You said eight to twelve weeks?” The doctor nodded. He looked over at Chibs who was just staring at the doctor. Looking back at the doctor. “That can’t be right, she had her period just a couple of weeks ago.” As the words left his mouth he realized that he was kind of outing them. He shouldn't have any idea when Ella had her period.

The doctor looked back at him with a slightly raised eyebrow but said nothing about his slip. “It’s possible that she had her cycle and still be pregnant.” The doctor put a hand on his arm. “We’re trying to make sure that we keep the pregnancy intact, but unfortunately we can’t guarantee that.” The doctor looked at both of them. “Other than that her prognosis is good. There’s no skull fracture from her head hitting the ground, but she probably has a mild to moderate concussion. And due to the pregnancy and her medicine allergies, we’re going to keep her sedated after surgery for a few days to manage the pain. I need to get back in there. Someone will be out to let you know when she’s out of surgery.”

He nodded as the doctor walked away. He looked at Chibs. “Thought she couldn’t get pregnant.”

Chibs looked back at him, a myriad of emotions in his eyes. “She was told her chances were slim to none, and if she did, no self-respecting doc would let her go to term. But that was twenty-five years ago.” He sighed. “Do ye think she knew?”

He shook his head. “Nah, if she knew, she wouldn’t be smokin’ or drinkin’. And she would have told us.” Then he gave the other man a strained smile. “And she wouldn’t have attacked Tara, wouldn’t have risked it.” He wasn't sure how he knew it, but he was sure of these things down to his core.

Chibs nodded. “Yeah, yer probably right.” Chibs took him by the arm. “We should go let the others know what’s goin’ on.”

He looked at the Scot. “Do we tell ‘em about the babies?”

Chibs stood there for a moment, then leaned back onto the wall. “Fuck, I don’t know Jackie, ye heard what the Doc said, no guarantees. Maybe it would be better not to mention it.” He could see the fear on the older man's face, hear it in his voice. Chibs wasn't going to get his hopes up. After having to leave Kerrianne, and never really getting to be her Dad...well, Chibs wasn't going to believe it until he was holding babies in his arms.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He took Chibs by the arm. “Let’s get back to everyone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to those who've left kudos and comments! They make my kitties happy! (Mostly because they make me happy and I'm more willing to be tapped for treats.)


	46. Chapter Forty-Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gemma arrives at the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine I tell you, MINE!
> 
> Not a doctor, not a lawyer, but I pretend to know stuff.

When she and Tig had gotten to the waiting room they found only Twink and Thomas. Twink looked up at the two of them. “Jackson took Filip to get into some clean clothes.” She watched as the Englishman continued to run his fingers through Thomas’s hair. She sat down by the two of them.

Putting her hand on her grandbaby’s back she whispered his name. The boy crawled out of Twink’s arms and into hers, starting to cry. She wrapped her arms around him and started whispering comforting nonsense in his ear. While it didn’t slow the crying at all, his little body relaxed some.

She looked at Twink, who had started in on the paperwork that had been left for Chibs to fill out. But she knew that La and Twink went back a long way, shit, he probably knew her better than any of them, well, with the exception of Chibs. And it seemed to make the man feel better, being useful. It was a feeling she could understand.

Twink looked at her. “Did you call Sam and Patrick?”

She nodded. “Yeah, that was fun. They’re on their way back. Probably be an hour or so.” Twink nodded his head and went back to the paperwork.

Looking up, she could see a doctor come in and look at the four of them. “Filip Telford?” The doctor looked at Tig. “I have a couple of questions for you.”

Tig shook his head. “No, I’ll go get him.” Taking off.

She looked at the doctor. “Is everything alright?” She didn’t like asking the question in front of Thomas.

The doctor assured her that Ms. Kinloch was going to be fine, he just had a couple of questions for Mr. Telford regarding his wife.

She saw Chibs and Jackson come out, Tig behind them. The doctor pulled Chibs away from the waiting room, with Jackson following.

The two came back about ten minutes later. She looked at both of them. “What did the doctor want?”

Chibs looked at her, his dark eyes brimming with tears. If she hadn’t had Thomas in her arms, she would have gone over to the Scot. “Wanted to let me know what was goin’ on.” She knew that there was somethin’ he wasn’t tellin’ her.

She looked at her son, who had sat down next to her. She gave him a questioning look. He shook his head at her, silently telling her to leave it be. Her son took Thomas from her, wrapping his arms around the crying boy.

Jackson was speaking softly into Thomas’s ear. “Doctors say Mama is gonna be just fine. After they fix what’s wrong, Mama will have to sleep for a few days, but she’ll be just fine.” Thomas started to cry harder. She couldn’t tell if it was guilt or relief.

Hearing noise, she looked up to see Bobby, Juice, and Waylon come in. She nodded her approval as the three went to Chibs, trying to comfort their brother. Tig was sitting by Twink, legs stretched out as if he were settling in for a long wait.

A few minutes later Lyla came in with Nero and Ellie with her. Nero came over and sat down by her. “You okay?”

She nearly laughed, but settled for a small smile. “No, but as always, I will be.” She closed her eyes and let the man comfort her for a moment. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Happy had shown up, the fucking cunt with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. 
> 
> Huge, ginormous, heartfelt thanks to those who have left kudos and comments. I've been working on this story for a very long time and it's really gratifying to have others enjoy it.


	47. Chapter Forty-Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Tara doesn't spill what she knows, Roosevelt sheds some light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> This would be the chapter where we get an inkling of what Thomas has been through, so those tags are coming into play. You've been warned.
> 
> Not a doctor, lawyer, or a cop. But I get to wing it here.

Jax looked up at Happy’s arrival. He saw Tara standing behind the Tacoma Killah, looking very nervous. He looked over at Chibs, who was usually a man slow to real anger, for a good reason. Once truly angry, he had very little control over his temper.

But seeing Tara let that temper out. Before anyone could catch him, although Jax was sure he saw Happy step aside, Chibs had Tara pinned to a wall by her throat. “Ye see what ye’ve done!?” Chibs was nose to nose with Tara, screaming at her. “Ye fuckin’ junkie, this is what ye not sayin’ shit has done! My girl is lying on a surgical table, Thomas almost fuckin’ kidnapped, now fuckin’ traumatized even more than when he got here, and because of ye, my babies may never see the light of day!” Then he backhanded her, hard, as he fell to the floor sobbing.

He handed Thomas to his Mom and went over, looking to Tig. Tig nodded and got up gathering Chibs off the floor and taking him out of the waiting room before Chibs could go after Tara again. “C’mon brother, let’s go get a smoke.”

Ignoring the shock on everyone’s faces, he rounded on Tara, trying to keep his own temper in check. “Who tried to take Thomas and what did he do to my son!?”

Tara was holding her cheek where Chibs had backhanded her. She looked at him blankly. He turned back to his Mom and Nero. He could see Thomas looking at Tara with what could only be described as hatred. His Mom caught the look he was giving her, and whispered to Thomas, who nodded. She got up with his son and left heading towards the cafeteria, Nero following, giving him a look saying he’d keep an eye on ‘em.

Turning back to Tara, blank look still on her face. He nodded to Happy, who slapped her lightly on the other cheek. She looked at Happy, fearful. Happy glared back at her. Tara looked back at him.

He advanced on her, his voice becoming low and dangerous. “Who is he and what did he do to my son?” He could see the wheels spinning in her Oxy riddled head. “Don’t fuckin’ stand there tryin’ to come up with some bullshit story, I want the truth!”

A voice interrupted. “Think I can shed a little light.” He turned around, Roosevelt was standing there. He looked at Tara. “Miss Knowles.” Stepping aside so that the female sheriff could come and place cuffs on Tara. “You are under arrest for child endangerment, child neglect, accessory to child abuse, and accessory to sexual abuse of a child. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?”

He watched in shock as Tara nodded. Roosevelt looked at the female sheriff. “Take her to the station, I’ll be along in a while.” The other sheriff nodded and led Tara away. Roosevelt turned back to him. “How's Ella?"

“They say that she’ll recover, but they found out she’s pregnant with twins. They may not survive.” Nearly choking on the last words, all of a sudden what Roosevelt had said a couple of minutes ago hit. He could feel the bile rising. Spinning around he puked into the trash can, emptying his stomach. Standing back up, he gratefully took the paper cup full of water that Twink handed him. Rinsing his mouth, he spit the water into the trash can.

Turning back to Roosevelt, he couldn’t even speak. The Englishman took over. “Sheriff. I assume the bloke decided speaking with the authorities was the right thing?”

Roosevelt looked at Twink the same way most people looked at Twink. Yes, he was speaking English, but not in any way they were used to. “I don’t know about the right thing Will, but when his prints didn’t match his ID, we had some room to work.”

Twink nodded. “He implicated Miss Knowles?”

Roosevelt nodded. “While he was clear that she had not actively participated, she was aware and didn’t do a goddamned thing until he started abusing her also.” Roosevelt shook his head. “According to what that asshole said, as long he kept her supplied with Oxy, she just let him do what he wanted. When she took off, he knew she would come here. Flew here a couple of days ago, started following Ella, Jax, and Chibs, waiting for Ella to be alone with the boy. Said he had no idea that she would fight back like she did.” Roosevelt chuckled. “I told him that Ella wasn’t some junkie, and that when it came to her boys, she’d kill anyone who tried to hurt them, he was just lucky she doesn’t like guns.” 

They all nodded. The Sheriff wasn’t wrong about that. Twink still looking at Roosevelt. “You’re going to need to speak with Thomas then?” 

When Roosevelt nodded, he found his voice. “No.”

Twink looked at him. “Jackson, they have to talk to Thomas, they need to know what happened from him. Both the man they arrested and Tara will try to cover their arses, it will be Thomas that leads us to the truth.” Roosevelt nodding his agreement.

While he was trying to wrap his head around all of this, Tig came back in with Chibs. Both looked at him, questions clear in both sets of eyes. Tig pushed Chibs into a chair, then walked over. “Saw Tara bein’ taken out in cuffs, what the fuck is goin’ on?”

Twink took Tig by the elbow leading him over to Chibs, telling both men what had just happened. Tig looked like he was ready to head to the sheriff’s office and just end Tara for good. He was a killer, and certainly not fit for the general public most of the time, but when it came to kids and animals, a huge fuckin’ heart. Chibs, he just slumped over more, then looked at him, more tears running down his face.

Roosevelt looked at him. “I’m gonna go back to the station, question Tara. Maybe we’ll get lucky and she’ll tell us everything, and we won’t need to talk to Thomas.” While Roosevelt certainly wasn’t tight with the club like Unser had been, there had been times when the man had been helpful. Roosevelt patted him on the back. “No matter what, I’ll make sure that Thomas isn’t questioned until Ella is conscious and able to be with him.” Then the man looked at Chibs. “And if Ella loses the babies, we’ll try to add murder to the laundry list of charges against that asshole. Let me know how Ella is doing. I may not like you guys much, but I like her.” The man left.

Not long after they left, his Mom came back with Thomas and Nero. She looked around. “Where’s Tara?”

Bobby answered. “Sheriff arrested her.” Bobby looked at Thomas. 

Twink walked over to Gemma and Thomas. “Here.” Taking Thomas from her. “Thomas why don’t you and I walk around. I need some company while I stretch my legs.” Thomas seemed nervous, which Twink picked up on. “Would you feel better if your Uncle Tig came with us?” Thomas nodded.

Tig, who had been paying attention, got up and walked over to them. Thomas reached out to the SAA. Tig took him from Twink. “Let’s go for a walk buddy, get some fresh air.” The three left.

Gemma looked at him. “Jackson. What the fuck is going on here?”

He closed his eyes and leaned back on the wall. “They arrested Tara for child endangerment, child neglect, accessory to child abuse and accessory to sexual abuse of a child." He looked at his mom, who didn’t seem as shocked as everyone else, himself included, had been. Which he mentioned.

She sighed. “I’ve been preparing for the worst.” She looked at both him and Chibs. “So was La. She’s been researching child psychologists specializing in abused children. Was gonna start vetting them after she got Tara to sign the papers.”

He nodded. She had told both him and Chibs that she had planned on doing that. “Yeah, she told me.” He sighed and sat down by Chibs, his mom sitting on his other side. “I guess I’d just hoped that it was just Tara not takin’ care of him right.”

His mom took his hand, holding it tightly. She looked at the other guys, Bobby picking up on what she wanted. Bobby looked at Happy, Waylon, and Juice. “Why don’t we go grab a smoke, maybe go get these two,” indicating he and Chibs, “a decent cup of coffee.” Directing the other three out of the waiting room, then following.

Nero looked at Lyla and Ellie. “We should go wait outside, Sam and Pat should be here soon.” The man looked at Ellie. “Abel will need his cousin.” Nero nodded at his mom before escorting the girls out.

Once it was just the three of them, his mom looked at both he and Chibs, a bit of anger flaring in her eyes. “Pregnant?”

Chibs nodded. “Eight to twelve weeks. She say anything to ye?”

His mom thought for a minute. “Not about bein’ pregnant.” She sighed. “She had mentioned how her period had changed over the last couple of months, but she had chalked it up to her age. Her annual is next month, she was gonna ask about it then.”

He was sure the relief on Chibs face was the same as his own, she hadn’t been hiding anything. She had been as clueless as they were. Then of course his mom had to bring up the hot pink elephant in the room that he and Chibs had been ignoring. “Any idea who’s the daddy?”

He could feel the blood rushing to his face. He looked at Chibs, who was looking at him, eyes soft. Chibs looked at his mom. “Does it really matter?”

His mom shook her head. “Not to me. Doubt if anyone else gives a fuck either.”

He looked at her, she was serious as all hell. “What did Sam say when you called him?”

Now it was his mom’s turn to look stricken. “Not much. After I broke the news, Pat’s was the next voice I heard. Pat said Sam looked like someone stabbed him in the heart.” She took a breath and continued. “Pat asked what I wanted him to tell Abel. I told him to tell him that there had been an accident and Mama had been hurt.” 

He looked at the floor and then his mother. “That’s probably best.” He hung his head. “Fuck.” He looked back at his mother. “How am I even gonna be able to look Sam or Pat in the eye? This happened because of me.” Everything hit him and he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He broke down, feeling his Mom’s arms around him.

“Baby, Sam and Pat aren’t gonna blame you. They’ll blame the asshole who did this, they’ll blame that fuckin’ cunt.” She squeezed him tighter. “They both know that she would do anything to keep her boys safe.” She kept talking in his ear. “And according to Pat, this is the most content he has ever seen La.” She held him tighter. “And that’s because of you and Chibs and the boys.”

Chibs who had been rubbing his back took over. “And our girl would kick your arse in a hot minute if she heard ye talkin’ like that. And if ye keep it up, I may do it for her.” Chibs pulled him away from his Mom, looking at him, his dark eyes deadly serious. “Do ye remember what Sam said to ye the first time he met Abel?”

He nodded. The first time Sam met Abel, he had later found the older man, off by himself, tears running down his face. When Sam looked at him he had thanked him for giving him a grandson. That his daughter had never looked happier. “Yeah.”

Chibs put an arm around his shoulder. “All Sam will see is that she protected her son. Same with Pat.” A flash of the Scot’s irreverence came out. “The only thing to worry about is how to stop Pat from goin’ down to the sheriff’s station and killin’ Tara in front of ‘em all.” Chibs chuckled darkly. “He is Ella’s brother, same temper, same need to protect his family. Ye saw how he went after Tara at dinner.”

That did make him laugh a little. “Yeah, sounded exactly like Ella.”

His Mom patted his knee. “So stop beatin’ yourself up. And I’m with Chibs, she’d kick your ass all over town.” 

He threw his hands up in surrender. “Okay. I’ll try.”

Both his Mom and Chibs relaxed back into their chairs. Chibs looking up at the clock. Three o’clock. “C’mon Jackie, let’s go get a smoke, she’ll probably be in surgery for a bit longer.” Chibs stood up, putting out a hand to pull him up.

He took it. “Yeah, sounds good.” He looked at his Mom. “You comin’?”

She shook her head. “I’ll stay here, in case anyone comes out. But send Lyla and Nero back in. Want the company.”

He nodded as he and Chibs started to make their way outside for a much needed cigarette. As they were making their way outside, Twink and Tig, who was still carrying Thomas, were comin’ back in. Twink carrying the laptop of Ella’s he had taken from the house.

Chibs gave Twink an odd look when he saw the computer. Twink smiled sadly at them both. “I thought I should get into her calendar, figure out when she has columns due and let her editors know that she may be out of commission for a bit.” Then looked at Chibs. “I’ll also need her phone. There are others who should be called.” Chibs nodded handing over her cel.

He groaned. Ella was an expert in compartmentalizing, and there was a part of her life that he, Chibs, and the club were on the outer fringes of. It was a part of her life that Twink had always been a part of. And with that, he could feel the guilt rise. They had been relying on Twink, forgetting that this had to be killing the man. He reached over. “Hey, you okay?”

Twink smiled at him sadly. “Not particularly, but there are things to be done.” Twink patted his arm. “Don’t worry Jackson. I’m English, stiff upper lip and all.” The blonde man smiled at him again. “Which also means that after the crisis has passed, I’ll get completely pissed.” His face grew serious. “I’m just grateful that her prognosis is good, and that Thomas is safe.”

Tig came over with Thomas, who had fallen asleep on the SAA’s shoulder. “I’m gonna take Thomas to Gem, go grab your smoke.” His voice quiet, so he wouldn't wake Thomas up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I do read them and reply.
> 
> Huge thanks to all who have left kudos and taken the time to comment. They mean a lot.


	48. Chapter Forty-Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fates of Brent and Tara are decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

When they reached the smoking area outside, he told Nero and Lyla that Gemma wanted them inside. They nodded and headed in, Ellie following. Happy and Waylon were still sitting there, Waylon smoking.

Chibs looked at the two of them. “Where’s Bobby and Juicy boy?”

Waylon looked up. “Went to go get coffee that won’t burn a hole in your stomach. Took the van, so Happy’s stuck until they get back. Me, I figured you two would be out soon, thought I’d fill ya in on what Leah said when she called to check on La.”

He chuckled, Leah had it bad for the SAMVEG transfer, who seemed to be on the fence. He was certainly interested, but he’d left Vegas due to a bad divorce, and wasn’t sure if he was a long term guy. “What did she say?” Her mom was a secretary at the station.

“Asshole’s real name is Brent Mitchell. ID he was carrying said his name was Paul Smith. His prints popped because he’s a tax attorney out of North Carolina. Leah’s mom said he would probably be transferred to county sometime tomorrow.” Waylon had a small smirk on his face when he said the last part.

Happy looked at him and Chibs. “He’s gotta die.”

He looked at Chibs, who nodded. He looked back at Happy. “Yeah. I’ll call Alvarez, see if brown will do us a favor.”

Happy looked at them both again. “What about the cunt?”

He took a deep breath. “I don’t know brother. I’d love to say, yeah, she’s gotta go, but for Thomas’s sake, we need to know what the fuck went on in North Carolina. Plus, how would we even get to her once she gets transferred to women’s county lock up?”

Happy smiled. “I know a couple of chicks who are locked up. They’d help if I asked.”

He looked at Happy. “Of course you do.” He sighed. “Let’s wait on Tara, I need her to sign the papers that Ella’s lawyer is bringing on Monday.” He looked at Waylon. “Go inside, tell Twink to call Jonathan, tell the lawyer if he can get those papers to us any sooner that would be good.” 

Waylon got up and headed inside. He looked back over at Happy. “Get word to your girls, tell ‘em to be ready when we give ‘em the nod.” He finally lit the smoke that he had come out there for.

Happy nodded, getting up, he walked away, pulling his cel phone out.

He looked over at Chibs. “I’m gonna call Alvarez real quick, get this shit in motion. That prick isn’t gonna make it past the next forty-eight hours.”

Chibs nodded as Bobby and Juice came walking up, each man’s hands full with drink carriers. When they walked up, they could see that Bobby had put names on each cup, knowing how each brother took their coffee. He grabbed the one that had his name on it, and after thanking Bobby, told both of them to get filled in by Chibs before delivering the drinks.

He walked off to a private spot, pulling out his cel. He scrolled through finding Alvarez’s number. After a few rings, the President of the Mayans picked up. “Jax.”

“Marcus.” He took a deep breath. “Need a favor.”

Alvarez chuckled a little. “Have anything to do with Telford’s old lady gettin’ shot?”

He knew the surprise was in his voice. “You heard?”

“Heard she got shot by someone tryin’ to snatch your kid.” The humor out of Alvarez’s voice. “That true?” When Tara had first disappeared, he had put out word to all MC’s that were even marginally friendly to the Sons.

“Yeah.” He rubbed a hand over his face, filling the Mayan President in on what had gone down over the last few days.

“When does the prick get to county?” Alvarez’s voice was tight. They may all be outlaws, but hurting kids was never fuckin’ okay. 

“Sometime tomorrow according to info from a secretary down at the station.” He answered. “I would consider it a favor if your guys inside could give him a proper welcome.”

Alvarez snorted. “For somethin’ like this, pleasure is mine. I’ll get word to the shoe, they’ll let the others know.”

“Thanks Marcus.” He looked up, seeing Sam, Pat and Abel hurrying up the sidewalk. “Gotta go, Ella’s family is here.”

“No problem Jax, tell Chibs I hope his old lady comes out of this okay. I’ll call when I know anything.” There was a slight pause. “Glad ya got your kid back.” Then the man hung up.

He smiled to himself. One problem solved. He made his way over to where Sam, Pat, and Abel were talking with Chibs. Abel in Chibs arms, crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticism, I love hearing from you guys!
> 
> Today will probably be another multi-chapter day! :) I'm in a good mood; just got my hair cut and dyed pink(ish)!


	49. Chapter Forty-Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roosevelt and Tara have a conversation in the interrogation room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Tara sat in the interrogation room. She had been there almost an hour and no one had come in. When she had been brought in, she could see Brent in a holding cell. When he saw her, he gave her a cruel smile.

As she sat there, she could feel the Oxy wearing off. The nausea was starting, as were the shakes. She laid her head on the table, feeling the sting of where Chibs had backhanded her. She was positive had they not been in public, the Scot would have killed her. She groaned a little as her stomach started to cramp. She might have been better off if he had. In the years she had known Chibs, she had never seen him so angry. But he had a right to be, she thought she could get away with not telling them about Brent.

She startled when the door opened and Roosevelt walked in. He looked at her disdainfully. “Miss Knowles. It seems your return to Charming hasn’t worked out well for you.” His look became colder. “If I could figure out how to charge you for what happened to Ella, I would.” Great, another person who seemed to be under the other woman’s spell.

At that moment, she decided she didn’t care anymore. “I find that surprising considering she’s a SAMCRO old lady.”

Roosevelt looked at her calmly, not rising to the bait. “Ella Kinloch may be Chibs old lady, but she has also brought a lot of commerce into Charming with her business, and she’s been active in the community over the last two years, both her and her business partner.” He chuckled. “Mayor Oswald has already called me four times for updates about this.”

She rolled her eyes, she couldn’t help it. “So now you’re Unser?”

Roosevelt gave her a dangerous smile. “No, not quite. Club keeps shit out of Charming and my jurisdiction, and I’m civil to them. That’s as far as it goes. But I do like Ella. She’s a good woman, a good mom.” Stressing the last part.

“I know, she’s perfect and I’m a fucking junkie bitch who couldn’t keep her kid safe.” She was becoming edgier the longer she went without the Oxy.

Roosevelt chuckled. “No, not perfect. But she tries to be a good mom, and learns from her mistakes.” His voice became serious again. “Anything you want to tell me?”

She shook her head. “Not without a lawyer.” She may be going through withdrawals, but she sure as hell wasn’t gonna talk to anyone until she had talked to a lawyer. While she had always known she wasn’t gonna leave Charming with her son, she did want to get out with her life, maybe be able to be a mother to Thomas in the future.

The sheriff nodded. “Fine. You’ll be transferred to county Monday morning. I’ll put word into the San Joaquin Public Defender’s office. They’ll see you there.”

He poked his head out the door. A female sheriff came in. “Miss Knowles will not be talking with us, so put her into a holding cell until she’s transferred to women’s county lockup Monday morning.” Then paused. “Make sure she has something to puke in. It’s gonna be a long weekend for Miss Knowles.”

The female sheriff nodded as she gestured at her to get up. She did so, the female sheriff escorting her to a holding cell. “Get in there.” She complied and as the door shut, Tara sat down on the cot and started to shake. And it wasn’t just the lack of Oxy in her system, she had the feeling that her time was growing short.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you're enjoying it! Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I will respond.
> 
> Thanks to all who have left kudos and taken the time to comment. They mean a lot! Special thanks to soarz for her excellent advice!


	50. Chapter Forty-Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chibs and Jax tell Abel what has happened to Mama and Thomas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

He stood there as Abel cried into his Uncle Chibs shoulder. Chibs speaking into Abel’s ear. “Mama is going to be just fine. She’s gonna have to sleep for a couple of days, so we won’t be able to talk to her, but that’s so she’ll get better faster. And she’ll have to be here for a bit after that, but she’ll be back to bossin’ all of us around soon enough.”

Sam walked over to him shaken. “Where’s Thomas?”

He looked towards the hospital. “Inside with Gemma. He finally managed to cry himself to sleep.”

The man patted his shoulder and hurried inside. He smiled a little, seemed like his mom and Chibs had been right. Abel finally looked up from Chibs shoulder, putting his arms out to him. He gathered Abel in his arms as his son started crying again. He hugged him tight. “It’s okay buddy, get it all out.”

Abel hiccupped a little. “Is Thomas okay? Did he get hurt in the accident?”

He flinched a little at the lie they had told the boy, who would learn the truth from his little brother if they didn’t tell him first. He looked at Chibs and Patrick, who had stayed to get filled in. They both nodded telling him it would be better if he told his son what had really happened.

He walked over to one of the tables that were in the smoking area. He sat Abel on the table as he took a seat on the chair in front of his son. Chibs and Patrick filled the other seats. He looked at Abel. “Buddy, Mama wasn’t in an accident. Daddy told Grandma to tell Uncle Patrick to tell you that, because Uncle Chibs and I wanted to tell you what happened.”

Abel, who still had tears coming down his face, looked at him with wide eyes. “What happened to Mama?”

He looked over at Chibs and Patrick. Where the fuck did he start? Chibs patted the boy’s leg. “Lad, ye know how yer brother has been havin’ bad dreams about the bad man comin’ to get him?”

Abel nodded, sniffling. “Yeah, he’s really scared of him.” Then what Chibs said seemed to really sink in. “The bad man hurt Mama, didn’t he?” Abel’s voice was a harsh whisper.

He put his arms loosely around Abel. “Yeah, buddy, he did. He tried to take your brother and Mama got hurt protecting your brother.” He hoped that Abel wouldn’t blame Thomas.

Abel started to shake. “Did the bad man hurt Thomas?”

Chibs patted Abel’s leg again. “Not today, Mama got him into the shop where Twink hid him from the bad man. But, yer brother is feelin’ pretty bad. I think he thinks it’s his fault that Mama got hurt.”

The indignation in Abel’s voice warmed his heart. “But it’s not his fault! It’s the bad man’s fault!” Abel started to scramble off the table, trying to get inside. He grabbed Abel.

“That’s right it’s the bad man’s fault.” He got up with Abel in his arms. “C’mon let’s go in, I bet your brother needs to see you right now.” He started to head in, looking back at the other two men. “You comin’?”

Pat waved them on. “In a minute, need to speak with Filip for a minute.”

He nodded and went in with Abel, hoping his presence would help Thomas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticism. I really do love hearing your opinions!
> 
> Thanks to those who have left kudos and taken the time to comment!


	51. Chapter Fifty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chibs and Patrick have a little chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine and mine alone.

Chibs turned back to Patrick. “Don’t want to sound like a prick, but I’d like to get back inside.”

Pat nodded at him. “This won’t take long. I just want to know what’s being done about the ‘bad man’ and the fucking bitch that led him here.”

He looked at his girl’s brother, the two were only thirteen months apart in age, and sometimes the similarities in their personalities were a little scary. “Well, considering the both of ‘em are sittin’ in holding cells down at the sheriff’s station, not much. Anything other than that, I’m not gonna tell ye. Better ye don’t know.”

Pat looked back at him. “What do you mean both of them?”

He sighed. “I guess the ‘bad man’ implicated Tara and Roosevelt arrested her on a shitload of charges including accessory to child abuse and accessory to the sexual abuse of a child.” He watched Pat clench his jaw the same way Ella did when she was trying not to go kill someone.

“The other charges?” Pat’s voice was low and stern.

“Child endangerment, child neglect and my guess is that drug possession will be added to the list.” He looked at Pat. “Why don’t we take this inside, yer sister should be out of surgery anytime.” Then a thought occurred to him. “Did ye call yer mother and tell her?” Knowing full well he certainly wasn’t going to and was pretty sure Twink wouldn’t.

Pat shook his head. “Why? She won’t do anything other than tell me to keep her informed. She hasn’t even met any of you guys.” He laughed. “I don’t think Ella has seen her in at least four years. Yeah, when she came back to the states for the month when our Grandma Garrison was dying.” Laughing again. “Fuck, Filip, if I called Mom, Ella would kick my ass the second she was able.”

He laughed. “Yeah, she probably would. she doesn't have a much to say about her.”

Pat started to move towards the hospital entrance. “Those two have never gotten along. You know that Ella started running away when she was five?” Chuckling. “Granted she only went as far as Grandma and Grandpa’s, but even at five she knew she couldn’t share a space with Mom.”

He shook his head with humor. “She may have mentioned it. Let’s get back in there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're still enjoying it! Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I love hearing from you guys!
> 
> Huge thanks to those who hit that kudo button or taken the time to comment!
> 
> Another multi-chapter day planned. There are a lot of shorter chapters in this story and if I post multiple chapters in a day I don't feel like I'm being a tease. Lol.


	52. Chapter Fifty-One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conversation with Twink and Ella's lawyer arrives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> Not a lawyer, but I sure as fuck can make 'em do whatever I want here.

When he and Abel got up to the waiting room, Jax could see Thomas was still sleeping on Tig. He whispered to his older son. “Why don’t we let your brother sleep for a while? Might make him feel better.”

Abel had nodded and slid out of his arms, heading straight for his Grandma. His Mom gathered Abel into her arms, whispering to the boy. 

Twink looked up at him and nodded towards the hallway. He nodded, walking out of the waiting room as the other man followed. He turned to the Englishman. “Did you call Jonathan?”

Twink smiled. “When we were at the house while I was gathering clothes for Filip.” He gestured to Chibs, as the Scot walked up to them, Patrick with him. Twink gave a wry chuckle. “I thought that Miss Knowles may try to pull another disappearing act, so it seemed prudent to call Jonathan. He should be here anytime, with the papers.”

He and Chibs looked at Twink in shock, while Patrick had seemed nonplussed. He shook his head. “Okay.” Then looked at Twink again. “He’s coming today?”

Twink nodded. “Yes, I did call and update him while Tig and I were outside with Thomas. He feels…well, he can tell you.” Gesturing for Jax to turn around.

He did, seeing a tall redheaded man in a dark suit striding up. He put out a hand. “Jonathan, thank you for coming so quickly.”

The man nodded. “Yes, and my advice is for us to go to the sheriff’s station and get these signed before Miss Knowles is in full blown withdrawals, which Sheriff Roosevelt says she is close to.”

He looked at the man, shocked. “Wouldn’t that let her come back later and say that she hadn’t been in her right mind?” Chibs and Patrick nodding their agreement. He noticed that only Twink did not look concerned.

Jonathan smiled at him. “Miss Knowles is facing serious charges, charges that lend themselves to our favor. Regardless of the state she may be in, if she were to be convicted, which I am sure she will, she will have little to no credibility with the court.”

He nodded, he hadn’t quite thought of it like that. He looked back to the attorney. “We have to do this now? Things here are kind of screwy. Thomas is in shock, Abel is upset about what happened to his Mama and his brother.”

The attorney reached over and patted his shoulder. “I understand that, but wouldn’t be better for both boys if you could tell them that Tara has no more rights to Thomas, that soon Thomas will be Eleanor’s son.” The man sighed. “I understand your reluctance to leave at the moment, but if Eleanor were awake, what would she tell you to do?”

He closed his eyes, sighing. “Get my ass down to the station and get those fucking papers signed so she can be out of our hair.” The other men chuckled.

Chibs pulled him aside, his voice low. “Go Jackie. I’ll keep an eye on the lads and if anything happens, I’ll call.” The Scot’s dark eyes serious. “Go do what our girl would want done. Think about how much better she’ll recover if she knows that Tara’s gone for good.”

“Yeah.” He couldn’t really argue. “Let me go explain to Abel.” He looked at the lawyer. “I’ll be just a second.”

He went back into the waiting room where Abel was still sitting on his Grandma’s lap. He sat down next to the two of them. “Buddy, I gotta leave for a little bit.”

Abel looked up to him, confused. “Why?”

He looked at his son, trying to keep his voice neutral. Abel had no idea of the Tara drama here earlier. “Mama’s lawyer brought the papers that Mama wants Tara to sign so that Mama can adopt Thomas like she adopted you.”

That seemed to pacify his son, but not his Mom or Sam, both of whom had been listening. He looked at them. “Jonathan thought it would be a good idea to get this done now.” He looked at his Mom, who had an idea of the rest of it. 

She kissed him on the cheek. “Go baby, that way you can get back. We’ll look after the boys. Just worry about gettin’ that done for La.” Then looked over at both of his sons. "And them."

He got up and walked back to the attorney. “Think I’ll let you drive.”

The attorney nodded. “That may be best.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying! Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, constructive criticism, or just say hi!
> 
> Thanks to those who've left kudos and taken the time to comment!


	53. Chapter Fifty-Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax and Jonathan pay Tara a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, nor beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> I'm not a lawyer, but I get to play one here.
> 
> Also, Ella's former in-laws are borrowed from a Dick Francis novel 'To The Hilt'. I really liked the Kinloch's, so I appropriated them and gave Lord Robert a second son named Duncan. (Ella's ex-husband)

Tara had been in the holding cell for about an hour and a half when Roosevelt came back. “Get up. Someone here to see you.”

She did what she was told. While she was shaking, she had been fortunate that the nausea hadn’t started yet. She wondered who could be here to see her. 

Roosevelt escorted her to the interrogation room. When he opened the door, she could see a tall redheaded man in an expensive suit sitting at the table, papers in front of him. He looked up. “Ah, Miss Knowles.” The man nodded to the sheriff. “Thank you Sheriff. I appreciate your cooperation.”

The sheriff nodded his acknowledgement as he closed the door. When he did, she saw Jax step out from behind it. “Tara. Have a seat.”

She stood there, shaking worse due to the increased fear. “What do you want? I told Roosevelt that I wasn’t saying a word until I had a lawyer.”

He advanced on her, she could tell he was barely keeping his temper in check. “I said have a seat.” The words were spit at her. 

She sat. She looked over at the other man. “Who are you?”

The man put his hand out, she shook it automatically. “Jonathan Burns, Ms. Kinloch’s personal attorney.” She let go of the hand as if it were on fire. He chuckled. It wasn’t a pleasant sound.

Jax took the chair next to the attorney. He slid something across the table. It was a single Oxy. She looked at the pill and then back to him. He smiled at her cruelly. “Take it, I don’t want your signature all shaky lookin’. So you take that and then we’ll tell you what’s going to happen.”

She sat there for a minute, then looked up at the camera in the corner. Jax caught it. “Roosevelt turned the camera off. Jonathan explained to him what’s going on.” His look grew harder. “Take it. I’d like to get away from you as soon as possible.”

She took the pill and crushed it between her teeth to break the time release on it as the lawyer pushed a bottle of water across the table. She opened it, washing the residual taste down. Looking back to Jax, she could see the disgust in his eyes. It was the same disgust she’d felt towards herself for a while now.

The lawyer cleared his throat. “In light of what has happened, and the charges that will be filed against you, I felt that even with Eleanor in surgery, this could not wait.” He slid the pile of papers in front of her. “These are legal documents that once you have signed, will give my client the ability to legally adopt Thomas.”

She looked at Jax, whose eyes were cold and his jaw clenched. “And if I don’t?”

The lawyer looked at her like she was nothing. “Then we will sue for the ability.”

She sat there for a minute. “If your client has been in surgery for the last few hours, how would you know what she wants?” By the look on Jax’s face, it was something he hadn’t thought of.

The lawyer smiled. “Eleanor is a planner. She has it in the contract she has with me that if she is incapacitated in any way, Lord Robert Kinloch can make decisions on her behalf. When Will called to tell me about the shooting and then again to inform me of your arrest, I called Lord Robert who instructed me to get these papers signed and if you refused, to go to court to get his grandson back where he belongs.” The man continued to smile. “With his father and Eleanor.” 

She looked at Jax. He was looking at the lawyer, a small smirk on his face. She sat there, feeling the shakes subsiding as the Oxy kicked in. Lord Kinloch? She put her face in her hands as she thought. The bitch hadn’t been kidding when she said connections. 

The lawyer continued. “Miss Knowles, do you really want to subject Thomas to court? In any form? Take some unsolicited advice, sign the papers and plead guilty to the charges. Save the son you claim to love the trauma of a trial.” 

She studied the lawyer. His face was placid and matter of fact. He seemed like while yes, he would prefer she signed the papers now, he was just as comfortable going to court to get his client what she wanted.

She looked over at Jax, who was looking down at his phone. He looked up and at her, any love he had once had for her was gone. “Sign the fucking papers Tara.” She shrunk in on herself a little as he stood up. In the two years she had been gone, she had forgotten how he could fill a room when he wanted to. “You supposedly took Thomas so he wouldn’t be tainted and look what you let happen to him, look what you did to him!” She watched as he backed himself towards a corner of the room. She knew he wasn’t far from physically attacking. “Hasn’t he paid enough? Sign the papers so that we can fucking put back together what you broke.”

She reached out and pulled the papers to her and started to read. It was all very straightforward, and exactly what the lawyer said they were, papers that would have her signing away all parental rights to Thomas and her agreement that Ella legally adopt her son. There was also a page for her to sign stating that she had not been coerced in any way and that she was of her right mind. She nearly laughed at that. Not coerced? Right mind? The lawyer really thought of everything. 

She looked at the lawyer and Jax. “Really don’t have a choice do I?”

Jax shook his head as he sat back down, while the lawyer nodded. The lawyer spoke. “Of course you have a choice. One is sign the papers and we will be done with you. Two is don’t sign and then not only will you be facing criminal charges, you will be fighting us also.” He cocked an eyebrow. “I didn’t say it was a good choice, but it is a choice.”

She sighed and put her hand out for a pen. “Fine. I just want what’s best for my son.” She looked as the lawyer notarized each page that she signed. 

When she had signed the last one and the lawyer finished notarizing it, he took all of the papers from her. “I’ll have the sheriff make a copy for you.” Getting up and leaving the room.

Jax sat there silently looking at his phone like he was trying to will it to ring. He seemed determined not to look at her. He finally looked up at her. “What?” His voice was sneering.

“I really thought I was doing the right thing for Thomas when I left.” She tried to sound apologetic. She was sorry for what had happened to Thomas, to herself. But she did enjoy the knowledge that she had hurt Jax at his core.

He barely looked at her while his voice was low and precise. “No you didn’t. You did what was best for you and what would hurt me the most. And Thomas paid the price.” He stood as the lawyer came back in putting the copies in front of her. “You may think you are too, but you really aren’t, at least not in any comparable way.” He walked to the door and out of the room without giving her another look.

The lawyer looked at her again. “I thank you for your cooperation Miss Knowles. And I hope that you take my advice regarding your criminal charges. It would probably be best for everyone, yourself included. Good luck.” The lawyer exited.

Roosevelt came and took her back to the holding cell. Before going in, she turned and looked at him. “Did you know what that was about?”

The man nodded. “Mr. Burns informed me.” He glanced at her. “Figured it’s the best thing for the boy, considering that you’re probably going back to prison for a while.” He ushered her in, locking the door behind her.

After he walked away, she laid down on the cot and started to cry, saying a silent good-bye to her son. She doubted she would ever see him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticism.
> 
> Thanks to those who've left kudos and comments!


	54. Chapter Fifty-Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ella is out of surgery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> I'm not a doctor or a lawyer, but I can make them do whatever I want here.

Chibs sat down next to Tig, who was still holding a sleeping Thomas. Tig looked over to him. “Where’d Jax go?”

“Ella’s lawyer brought the papers for Tara to sign so Ella can adopt Thomas.” He looked over at the entrance to the waiting room, trying to will a doctor to come out. The longer they stayed away, the more he worried.

Tig nodded and went back to waiting. Good. He really wasn’t in a talking mood. They sat there for a few minutes when Thomas started to stir. The lad looked around and when he couldn’t see his Da, he could see the panic rise in the lad.

Taking the lad from Tig’s lap, he held him close. “It’s alright lad. Yer Da just had to go run an errand real quick. He should be back soon.” The lad had nodded holding on tighter. Before he could say anything else, Tig nudged his arm. A doctor was walking in.

He got up with Thomas, who he handed off to Pat as he headed the doctor off. He pulled Gemma and Sam with him. He didn’t want Gemma askin’ about the babies in front of the lads. If they survived, this wasn’t how he wanted them to find out. Plus, Ella should probably know before the lads. 

When the four of them had gotten far enough from the lads, he turned to the doctor. “How is she?”

The doctor smiled tiredly. “She’s fine. We’re going to keep her in recovery for about an hour and then she’ll be moved to a room. You can see her then. I will warn you, she will be sedated and pretty non-responsive. We’ll keep her that way a few days. By then the pain should have subsided enough for analgesics to work.”

He nodded while sighing his relief. Before he could open his mouth to ask, Gemma was doin’ it for him. “What about the baby?” Maybe they had forgotten to tell Gemma a small detail.

The doctor’s smile became a bit wider. “Babies are fine, for the moment. That’s the other thing we’ll keep an eye on, and when she’s conscious, we’ll have her OB/GYN come see her.”

He nodded, feeling Gemma’s eyes burning a hole in his back. The doctor patted his shoulder. “When she’s been moved to a room, someone will come and get you.” The doctor looked into the full waiting room. “But you will have to limit the amount of people in the room at one time.”

He thanked the doctor before turning around. Before Gemma could even open her mouth, he stopped her. “Right now Gem, think it’s more important to tell the lads’ that their Mama will be fine. Ye can satisfy yer curiosity later.” He walked away from her to where Thomas and Abel were standing side by side, Abel holding his little brother’s hand.

He sat in a chair and pulled both boys up into his lap. “Mama is gonna be just fine lads.” Hugging them both as the tears came. “We can go see her in about an hour, but I need to warn ye, Mama will be sleeping and we won’t be able to wake her up.”

Abel nodded while Thomas started to sob. He slid Abel off of his lap so he could gather Thomas up. “No need for those lad, Mama is gonna be just fine, I promise.”

“I’m s-sorry, Uncle Ch-Chibs.” The lad could barely get the words out. He closed his eyes for a moment trying to let go of the urge to go down to the sheriff’s station and cut the both of them to ribbons.

He pulled away from Thomas so that the lad could see his face and not just hear his voice. “Thomas, lad, ye need to look at me.” Thomas looked up, his blue eyes teary and fearful. He tried to keep all anger out of his voice knowing that the lad would interpret it wrong. “Ye don’t need to be sorry lad. Ye did nothin’ wrong. Yer Mommy did, the ‘bad man’ did, ye did not. Do ye hear what I’m tellin’ ye? Ye are not to blame for what happened to Mama. No one blames ye. Not me, not yer Da, not yer brother. Certainly not yer Mama. The police arrested the ‘bad man’ and yer Mommy for the bad things that happened to ye before ye came home to us. They can’t hurt ye again, they can’t hurt Mama again. Okay?”

Abel climbed back up into his lap so he could sit with his brother. “Thomas, Mama won’t be mad, she’ll be happy that you didn’t get hurt, that she kept you safe. ‘Cause Mama would tell you that’s what her job is. To keep us safe and happy.”

He smiled at Abel. “That’s right.” He looked back to Thomas, whose tears were starting to slow. “Listen to brother, he knows.” 

Thomas looked back up at him. “You’re not mad at me?”

He hugged the lad, he had the feeling they would have to be answering that question a lot. “No lad, I’m not mad atcha. No reason to be, ye did nothin’ wrong. Ye did what yer Mama wanted ye to do, ye got inside so Twink could take care of ye.”

He looked up as Jackie walked back in with Jonathan, both men looking rather pleased with themselves. Jackie walked over seeing both boys on his lap. “Good news?”

Thomas slid down, wantin’ his Da. “Mama is sleeping.”

Jackie picked the lad up. “Is that right?” Jackie looked at him with a questioning look.

He nodded. “Out of surgery. Everything is gonna be fine. They said we could see her in about an hour, but she’ll be out for a couple of days at least.”

Jackie looked back to him. “Everything?”

He gave him a relieved smile. “Yeah.” Then looked over at the lawyer who was talking to Twink. “I’m gonna assume everything went according to plan?”

Jackie’s smile became wide. “Yeah. All signed. Jonathan will start the process Monday. Oh, and I did find out no one is being transferred until Monday morning. Already let Marcus know.”

He nodded, lookin’ at Thomas. “Lad, why don’t ye go sit with Grandma, need to talk to yer Da for a minute. Can ye do that for me?”

Both he and Jackie smiled as the lad nodded, sliding down his Da, and hurrying over to his Grandma, who was still shootin’ daggers at him.

Taking Jackie by the elbow, he led him to the hallway. Jackie looked at him. “Is there a reason my Mom is lookin’ like she wants to slap you?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, we may have forgotten to tell her there are two babies. Doctor broke that news to her.”

Jackie hung his head, chuckling tiredly. “Great, that means she wants to kick my ass too.”

While they were standing there Ella’s lawyer came out, heading towards them. “Gentlemen, I’m going to head back to San Francisco. I’m going to call the judge that handled Abel’s adoption and let him know about Thomas. That should speed the process. I’ll be back Monday to check on Eleanor, and will have the papers that Jackson will need to sign.” He paused, looking a little unsure. “Will told me that Eleanor is pregnant. Is that correct?”

He nodded. “Aye, twins. Eight to twelve weeks. She doesn’t know, neither do the lads.” He gave the lawyer a hard look. “And neither will the Kinloch’s. That’s for her to tell them when she’s ready to.”

Jonathan nodded. “Understandable.” He shook both of their hands. “I’ll be going, call if you need anything.” The lawyer walked away.

Jackie looked at him. “They already know she’s been shot. Guess if she’s unable to make decisions, her former father-in-law can. Did you know that?”

He nodded. “Yeah, him or Duncan.” He sighed. “She had that in place before she met us. Felt it was best to leave it that way.”

Jackie chuckled. “Well it was handy today. Ya should have seen Tara’s face when Jonathan brought him up, with his title.” Jackie looked back to the waiting room. “How has Thomas been?”

He sighed, leaning against the wall. “Lad lost it when I told ‘em that Mama would be fine. Lad thought I would be mad at him.” He watched as Jackie closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. 

Jackie opened his eyes, now clouded with tears. “He seemed to be a little better when I got back from the station.”

“Yeah, both me and Abel explained how no one was mad at him. Think brother tipped the scales.” He glanced towards the waiting room. “We should get back to them.”

Jackie nodded. As they went to turn to go back in, they heard a voice behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I love hearing from you!
> 
> Thanks to all of those who have left kudos and taken the time to comment.


	55. Chapter Fifty-Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gemma has a little chat with Jax and Chibs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes belong to me!!!

Gemma watched as the lawyer walked past the waiting room entrance, making his way out of the hospital. She looked at Thomas, who was sitting with Abel, watching his brother play a game on the tablet thing that Jax had brought from the house to keep the boys entertained.

She leaned over to Sam. “Keep an eye on the boys.” She chuckled. “I’m gonna go talk to the other two and find out what else they haven’t been tellin’ me.”

Sam looked up from his laptop, where he and Patrick were following the game they were supposed to be at. “Will do.” Then he laughed a little. “Remind me never to keep anything from you.”

She nodded with a smirk firmly in place. “Not the best idea in the world. Especially stuff like that.” Walking towards the hallway.

When she got out there, she could see her son and Chibs getting ready to go back into the waiting room. They had their backs to her. She smiled to herself. “Not another step, boys.”

The both of them froze, turning to face her. She walked over to the two of them. “Twins?” She raised an eyebrow. “You two were planning on telling me this when?”

She nearly laughed as the two of them looked at each other, trying to figure out which one of them was gonna deal with her. She stood there tapping her toe.

Seemed like Chibs was gonna be the first to try to talk his way out of this. “Ye must not have heard clearly when I was yellin’ at the stupid bitch that brought all of this down on us.”

She nearly slapped the smirk off of her son’s face. “I remember him sayin’ babies. Plural.” His smirk was already getting on her nerves.

She closed her eyes for a second, and took a deep breath. “While I’d like nothin’ more than to slap the smirks off of both of your faces, I won’t.” She sighed. “We got bigger troubles at the moment.”

She could see the relief on both of their faces, right to the second they realized that she was right. There were bigger things to worry about. Then both of them just looked tired. She put an arm around each of them. “Let’s get back to the boys. They’ll be lettin’ us back to see La in a bit.”

They both nodded and walked back into the waiting room. She stayed back for a minute, leaning on the wall, taking a minute for herself. She had the feeling the next few days were not going to be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticism. I love hearing from you guys.
> 
> Thanks to those who've left kudos and comments. I really appreciate them.
> 
> There will be one more chapter posted today since it's been a bunch of short ones.


	56. Chapter Fifty-Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ella is moved to a room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

When they got back into the waiting room, Thomas had climbed back up on Chibs lap. Seemed like Chibs was going to be filling the role of chief comforter that Ella had been for Thomas. He thought back to what Sam had said on Thomas’s first day back. That kids remember.

He wasn’t proud of it, but while Tara had been in jail, and the first couple of months that Ella was taking care of the boys, there were probably a lot of nights where Chibs had been there at her house with her and the boys, while he was at the clubhouse, gettin’ wasted and fucking croweaters, trying to forget his life was falling apart.

He sat by Chibs and Thomas, Abel on his other side, playing one of the games on the tablet that he had brought from the house to keep Abel entertained. They all sat quietly. Waiting.

A nurse came in the waiting room, looking a little confused at the room full of bikers. “Mr. Telford?” Trying to figure out who she was supposed to be talking to.

Chibs stood up with Thomas still in his arms. “Aye, that’s me.”

The nurse nodded. “I’m supposed to take you back to Ms. Kinloch’s room.” She looked around at the group standing there. “The doctor’s said no more than four people in the room at one time.”

He looked at Chibs, knowing that Chibs, Thomas and Abel would be going in first. As much as he wanted to see for himself that she was really okay, he looked over at Sam. He turned, leaned down and patted Abel’s shoulder. “Why don’t you take Papa with you, buddy? I’ll go see Mama in a little while. I think Papa needs to see her.” He told his son softly.

Abel nodded and went to take Sam’s hand, following Chibs and Thomas, who were following the nurse.

His Mom walked over. “Fuck that rule Jackson, get your ass back there with your sons.” She was keeping her voice low so the others wouldn’t overhear. “She would want you back there.”

He nodded and walked back to where the others had gone. When he pushed the door open, even though he knew she would be sedated, it was odd to see her so still. Chibs and Sam turned when he came in. Both nodded as he walked over to Abel, who was standing at the side of the hospital bed, looking at his Mama.  
There really wasn’t much to say and even though the three of them knew she was sedated, and would be unable to wake up, they all felt the need to be quiet. He squeezed his older son’s shoulder. “She’ll be asleep for a few days buddy.”

Abel nodded sadly, looking up at him. “But Mama will be okay?”

Chibs, who was still holding Thomas, answered. “Aye, lad. She’ll be here for a bit, but she’ll be just fine.” Abel looked over to him and nodded.

Sam reached over and patted Abel’s back. “Why don’t we go back out to the waiting room, bud? They only want a few people in here at a time, and I bet that you’re Grandma and Uncle Patrick would like to come back so they can check on your Mama.”

Abel nodded and took his Papa’s hand. “Okay.” The two of them left the room.

Chibs took a seat in the chair next to the bed. He knew by the look on Chibs’s face and the way he was holding his body, that he wasn’t gonna be leaving the room anytime soon. He looked at Thomas who was still being held by Chibs. “Why don’t we go too, buddy?”

Thomas shook his head, clinging to Chibs a little tighter. “No, wanna stay with Mama.”

Chibs looked at him. “Lad’s fine where he is.” Chibs eyes were tired. “Let him stay for a while.” He realized that Thomas was Chibs’ tangible, good reason for Ella bein’ in that bed.

He looked at his son, who hadn’t taken his eyes off of Mama. The fear evident on his young son’s face. “Okay bud, you can stay for a while.” If this was the only way his son was going to find consolation, he wasn't going to argue.

He kissed Thomas on the head and patted Chibs on the shoulder before he left the room.

While he was walking back to the waiting room he could see his Mom, Patrick, and Nero walking towards the room. His Mom stopped. “All the guys but Tig and Bobby went back to the clubhouse. Told ‘em there was nothin’ to be done here. But Tig and Bobby want to see her, even if she’s sedated.”

He nodded, not surprised. Ella was close to the two of them. “Okay. Why don’t ya go in and see her and we’ll figure the rest of this shit out later. ‘Cause I can already tell ya, Chibs ain’t leavin’ and we’re gonna have a hell of a time getting Thomas out of here.”

His Mom nodded. “Okay, baby.” She patted his shoulder as she made her way into the hospital room.

When he got back to the waiting room, Sam pulled him aside. “Gemma told me what happened with Tara earlier today.”

He sighed. He really didn’t want to talk about it, but considering the man’s daughter was lying sedated in a hospital bed because of it, he at the least, owed the man a conversation. “Yeah, not a lot of fun.”

Sam looked like he wanted to say something that the man was sure he wouldn’t like. “I think you should have Thomas see a doctor as soon as you can. Hell, make up an emergency to get him seen.”

He nodded. “Yeah, Ella was looking into child psychologists.”

Sam shook his head. “Pediatrician, Jackson. You need to know if there has been any physical damage.”

He looked at the older man, a little confused. “Other than being too skinny, he looks fine. No scars.”

Sam shook his head again. “No scars you can see.” The man sighed sadly. “Gemma told me all of the charges. Unless one of the two of them confess to everything, or Thomas decides to talk, a pediatrician may be the only one who can tell us remotely what may have happened.”

He could tell the man hadn’t liked to say it as much as he hadn’t wanted to hear it. But it didn’t mean Sam was wrong. And the man was only thinking of Thomas’s welfare. He sighed. “I’ll call Abel’s doctor, tell them the situation. Maybe they can get him in on Monday.”

Sam nodded. “Good. I’ll still be here. Pat has to go back to work, but I already cancelled my flight. I can stay for as long as you need me to.” 

“Thanks Sam.” And he was thankful, Sam was a pretty cool customer, very even tempered. Plus, it would thrill Abel and Thomas to have their Papa here longer.

The man nodded and walked back over to Abel. He sat down on Abel’s other side. “What ya doin’ bud?” Abel looked up at him.

“Reading.” Abel smiled as he held the tablet up. He looked to see a digital version of the first book that Ella had given to the boys. He leaned over and pulled Abel onto his lap. “Why don’t you read it to me, buddy.”

He listened as Abel read the Dr. Seuss book, losing himself in the small moment of normalcy.

He looked up as his Mom, Nero and Patrick came back out. His Mom was holding Thomas. He gave her a surprised look. 

She smiled. “Thomas is hungry.” She looked at Abel. “You hungry, baby?”

Abel nodded. “Yeah, I am.”

His Mom looked at him and the others. “Why don’t we take the boys home and get them fed. We can bring them back later so they can say goodnight to Mama.” She looked at Thomas. “Sound good to you honey?”

Thomas nodded silently. He thought about what Sam had said. He looked at his son. “Okay, let’s go get you guys some food.” He looked over at Twink. “You still have my keys?”

Twink nodded, pulling them out of his pocket. “You can also take her laptop and phone home. No need to have them here at the moment. I think I’ll stay for a bit. Then walk back over to the shop, see what needs to be done there. I’ll check in with you later.” Twink got up and headed to Ella’s room, Tig and Bobby following.

He looked at Lyla and Ellie. “Why don’t you girls go ahead and go back with them. Then go get the boys and bring them over to the house for some dinner.”

Lyla nodded. “Okay, we should be over in about thirty, forty minutes. If Twink hasn’t already done it, I’ll let Chibs what’s goin’ on.” She gave him a hug, whispering in his ear. “She’ll be back to her old self before you know it, Jax. No way is she leavin’ any of her boys.” She let him go and ushered Ellie back to Ella’s room. That made him smile a little. He was aware that Ella had confided in Lyla. He knew to those on the outside it seemed a strange friendship, but Ella and Lyla had bonded in the dark days right after Tara took Thomas.

He took Thomas from his mother, then took Abel’s hand and the three of them made their way to Ella’s Rover and home, which would seem strangely empty without Ella or Chibs in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms,
> 
> Thanks to those who have clicked the kudo button or taken the time to comment. They are much appreciated. You really have no idea.


	57. Chapter Fifty-Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax takes some things to Chibs up at the hospital. Twink pays them a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Chibs sat in the chair next to the bed, legs stretched out, trying to get comfortable. Jackie and Gem had brought the lads back to say good-night. They had a hell of a time getting Thomas to leave. Finally, Abel intervened, tellin’ his brother that Mama would want him to listen to Da and Grandma. He had almost chuckled, Gemma had tried the same tack not even ten minutes earlier.

He had been alone for a couple of hours watching bad television when the door opened. A nurse came in followed by Jackie and Tig, who were lugging a recliner that were in the new mom rooms. The nurse smiled. “Your friends said that there was no way you would be leaving, so I told them they could take a chair from an empty room. Hopefully you can get a little sleep in it.”

He nodded his thanks to the nurse, looking up at Jackie and Tig. “Thanks fellas.”

Tig shrugged. “No reason to have ya be a total dick ‘cause ya aren’t gettin’ any sleep.” Tig gave Ella’s foot a small squeeze. “Think I’m gonna head back to the clubhouse. I feel a total need to get wasted. I’ll check in with ya tomorrow.” Tig left, leaving him and Jackie alone.

He noticed the backpack on Jackie’s shoulder. He raised an eyebrow.

Jackie smiled sadly. “Pretty obvious that you aren’t gonna be leaving anytime soon. Thought you might want some clean clothes, shit like that.” Then his smile got a little bigger. “And a bottle of whiskey. And the boys put some things in here, I have no idea what.”

He nodded again, not able to find any words that would even be close to sufficient to express his gratitude.

Jackie looked over at their girl. “It’s really fucking strange to see her so still.” Then looked back to him. “Even when she’s sleepin’ she moves more than some people do while they’re awake.”

He chuckled a little. “Aye, that’s true.” Then looking at her. “It’s the quiet that gets me.” He ran a hand through his hair, he could feel the crusting of dried blood. “Fuck, she even talks in her sleep. Granted it’s all nonsense, but it’s strange not to hear it.” Jackie chuckled his agreement.

He looked at his hand, seeing the flecks of dried blood. Jackie noticed it also. “There’s a towel in there too, if ya want to take a quick shower. I’m here for a while. The boys were passed out with Mom up in your bed. They’ll be fine for a bit.”

He nodded. “Aye, probably not the world’s worst idea.” And it wasn’t. A hot shower would probably do him some good. He stood up, taking the backpack from the floor by the chair and went into the bathroom. 

Opening the backpack, he took out the clothes and towel and set those on the sink. He also pulled out the bottle of Jameson’s that Jackie had been kind enough to put in there. He opened it, taking a couple of long pulls, relishing the warmth as it went down. He put the bottle aside and looked back in the bag. He pulled out the other things he would need immediately.

As he reached the bottom of the bag, he found the things the lads had put in. There were snacks that he probably wouldn’t eat, pictures that had been either drawn or colored that he had the feeling were for their Mama. And last he pulled out a small stuffed bear that Abel had won when the fair had come through last fall. That made him smile. Abel and his Mama had spent a small fortune in time and money for Abel to win that bear, the two of them acting like they had just won the bloody World Cup when he finally did.

Sighing, he stripped down and got into the shower. By the time he was done, he wasn’t sure that he felt better, but certainly didn’t feel worse. 

When he left the bathroom, he was almost surprised to see Twink sitting with Jackie. The two looked up, the slight Englishman with a strained smile on his face. “Well lads, life is going to get interesting.”

Both he and Jackie looked at Twink confused, both thinking they could use a lot less interesting at the moment. He sighed. “Interesting how, Twink?”

The Englishman snorted. “Ella’s mother is on her way.” Twink let that sink in for a moment. “She called me saying that Sam called her and that her plane would be in Sacramento in the morning and would I come get her?”

He sat down on the arm of the recliner that Jackie was sitting in. They had never even attempted to hide anything from Twink. First of all, Ella told Twink everything. And secondly, Twink was as smart and as observant as Ella. The two may not have shared DNA, but Twink was as much her brother as Patrick. He looked at Twink. “What brought that on? The woman can’t even be bothered to come meet her grandson.” Jackie nodded his agreement.

Twink ran a hand through his blonde curls. “I have no bloody idea, Filip. As Ella has said in the past, who knows why her mother does or doesn’t do anything. The woman didn’t come to a single graduation until Ella graduated from Oxford. One year she’ll get a hold of Ella on her birthday, the next one, not a peep.” Twink sighed. “I gave up trying to figure that woman out by the time we were thirteen. And I think Ella gave up long before that.” Twink put his head in his hands for a minute, then looked to Ella’s silent, still body. “We can only hope that Ella doesn’t flip her lid if Judith is still here when she wakes up.”

Jackie looked at Twink confused. “I know they’re not close, but would she really be pissed?”

He patted Jackie’s arm. “Aye, Jackie, she would be.” He chuckled. “About a year ago, ye were on a run up north, and she was on the phone telling her Mum about adopting Abel and I have no idea what the woman said, but Ella went off like Fourth of July fireworks. Told the woman that the last time Ella checked, she had little to no right to an opinion to how Ella lived her life, and if she couldn’t get on board with the adoption, she could go fuck herself.” He sighed. “They’ve spoken maybe a handful of times since. Pat says it’s been over four years since they’ve seen each other.”

Twink chimed in. “And it was over four years the time before that. Went home for her step-father’s funeral.” Twink chuckled. “Where they fought. It’s what they do.”

He got up, going back into the bathroom to get his boots. After getting them on he looked at Twink and Jackie. “I’m gonna go grab a smoke real quick.”

Twink looked over at Jackie. “If you want to go also, I’ll stay until the two of you get back.”

Jackie nodded, getting up. “Yeah, I could use one. Thanks.”

Twink waved them on. As they were walking out he turned back, seeing that Twink had pulled the other chair closer to the bed and took Ella’s hand, resting his forehead on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I love hearing from you guys!
> 
> Huge thanks to those that clicked that kudo button or took the time to comment. It means a great deal to me.


	58. Fifty-Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax gets a phone call from home. (I'm really not getting any better at this.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine!!!

When they got outside, he looked at Chibs as he lit a cigarette. “Twink doesn’t seem real thrilled about Ella’s Mom coming.”

Chibs chuckled. “Think of her as the anti-Gemma. Once Ella and Pat could do things for themselves, she backed the fuck away. Sam was gone by the time she was ten. She once said that if it weren’t for their grandparents, it would have been like being raised by wolves. Smart, entertaining wolves, but wolves nonetheless. Ella went through legal emancipation the second she turned sixteen. Pat did the same thirteen months later.”

He sat there for a minute, trying to imagine doing everything for himself at the age of sixteen. Having Gemma not give a fuck. Couldn’t do it. He shook his head. “No wonder she doesn’t talk about her.”

Chibs shrugged. “What’s to say? That her Mum didn’t want to be a Mum? At least to her and Pat. Ye know she and Pat have two half-sisters, who their Mum actually took care of and is still very close to?”

He shook his head. It was kind of disconcerting to him that he knew none of this but Chibs did. Disconcerting, but not surprising. “No idea. But getting her to talk about her Mom is a little like pulling teeth.” Before he could say anything else, his cel went off. He looked down. “Mom.” He answered, putting it on speaker. The only noise coming out were Thomas’s screams.

He stood, looking at Chibs, who waved him on. “Get back to the lads Jackie.”

He nodded and started to make his way towards the Rover that he had continued to drive, his bike still at Ella’s shop. “Mom, tell Thomas I’m on my way.” He closed his cel, shoving it back in his pocket as he got in the Rover.

He raced home, squealing into the driveway. When he got in the house, he could still hear Thomas’s screams. He raced up the stairs to Ella and Chibs room. He found his mother trying to comfort his son, which wasn’t working.

He made his way to the bed and put his hand on his son’s shaking back. “Thomas. I’m here buddy.” He lifted Thomas out of his Mom’s arms, cradling him. “Shh…buddy, I’m here. Did you have another bad dream?”

The screams had given way to sobs as his son nodded. He looked over at his Mom who looked incredibly shaken. “Where’s Abel?”

She smiled softly. “Pat and Sam took him downstairs. Think Pat’s gonna bunk down on the lower bunk in Abel’s room.”

He nodded while rubbing Thomas’s back. It seemed Thomas was starting to calm down. “Wanna tell me what your dream was about?”

Thomas shook his head. He didn’t force the issue. Just continued to rub his son’s back. They sat like that for a while, he could start to feel Thomas’s breathing even out. After a few minutes of that he looked at Thomas. The boy had cried himself back to sleep. He laid him back down on the bed and looked at his Mom, speaking softly so not to wake his boy. “Any idea what the dream was about?”

His Mom put an arm around him. “I’m not sure baby. He woke up screaming ‘No’ over and over and then started screaming for La.” He could feel his Mom shaking a little. He hugged her, tightly, thinking that no matter how big of a pain in his ass she could be, he was lucky that she loved him the way she did. “Jackson, Abel couldn't even get him to calm down.”

He cringed a little at that, still holding on to his Mom, his anger starting to build. “I wish we knew what happened while he was gone.” He let go of his Mom, looking at her. She looked nearly as miserable as he felt. “Sam wants me to get him in for a physical as soon as humanly possible. He thinks that will give us some clue.”

She nodded. “It’s probably a good idea.” She got up and started pacing. “I’ll call the pediatrician and explain the situation first thing Monday.” She looked at him. “I need a cigarette. I think I’ll go downstairs, you gonna stay with Thomas?”

He nodded, running a hand over his face. “Yeah, I’ll sleep up here with him. He seems to sleep better up here, for the most part.”

She smiled as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “It’s because it’s Mama’s bed. All little ones sleep better in their Mama’s bed.” She started to leave and then turned around. “I’m gonna run home real quick and grab some things, and then I’ll sleep down in your room.” Without waiting for an answer, she left.

He smiled to himself. He had the feeling that Gemma wasn’t gonna leave until Ella came home. Sighing, he looked over at Thomas, whose head was buried in Ella’s pillow. He stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed with Thomas, turning off the light. Even though it was far earlier than when he normally went to bed, he fell asleep almost instantly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you're enjoying it!! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticism. I do really love hearing from you guys!!
> 
> Thanks to all who left kudos or took the time to comment. You really have no idea what it means to me.


	59. Chapter Fifty-Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunday morning at the Telford/Kinloch/Teller household is full of revelations. Not all of them good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

He woke up at about six-thirty in the morning. Sitting up, he looked over and smiled. Sometime during the night Ella’s old, grumpy cat Winston had gotten up on the bed and had allowed Thomas to hold him like a teddy bear. The fat, ginger cat looked at him with a look that almost made him laugh. The cat looked like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was.

He sat there for a minute, watching Thomas sleep. After a few minutes, the boy woke up, stretching. Winston took that as his chance to flee. Thomas watched as the cat bounded off of the bed, then turned to him a little confused. “There’s a cat here?”

He did laugh at that. “Yeah, buddy. That’s Mama’s cat Winston. He’s pretty old and doesn’t really like anyone other than Mama, so he hides a lot. He must think you’re pretty special for him to sleep with you like that.”

Thomas looked at him with wide eyes. “He doesn’t like anyone but Mama?”

He shook his head. “Not anymore buddy. Looks like he likes you too.” He gathered Thomas onto his lap. “Are you feeling better this morning?”

Thomas nodded a little. Then looked up like he was afraid to ask him something. He smiled softly at his son. “What do ya need, buddy?”

What little progress they had made before the events of the day before had almost been erased. Thomas looked down, embarrassed. “Hungry.” His son mumbled.

He hugged the boy close. “Well, then we should get something to eat shouldn’t we?” He put Thomas off of his lap, getting up and pulling on the jeans he had worn the day before. Turning back, he picked up Thomas and headed down to the kitchen. 

When they got down there, his Mom was already up, sitting at the breakfast nook with a cup of coffee. She looked up as they entered. “Morning boys. Sleep well?” 

He nodded as Thomas slid down to go sit with his Grandma. “Yeah. But little man here woke up hungry. You’re up early.”

She smiled as she got up to make something for Thomas to eat. “Couldn’t sleep and Twink called about fifteen minutes ago and told me about Ella’s Mom.” She nailed him with a look. “Said he was gonna come by so we can figure out where we’re gonna put her.”

“Since I’m leaving tonight, she can use the guest room I’m using.” Pat’s voice came from behind him. He turned around. Patrick did not look thrilled.

His Mom noticed. “You don’t sound happy about her coming.”

Pat moved towards the coffee maker and poured a cup of coffee. “I’m surprised.” He looked over at Thomas who was engrossed in the bowl of cereal that his Mom had given him. He knew, the way the last few days had gone, Thomas would eat a second breakfast after everyone else got up.

The three of them moved out to the patio to smoke. Pat looked at both he and his Mom. “Ella almost died when she was twenty. Mom couldn’t be bothered to show up then. So I have no idea why she’s here now. I know for a fact she hasn’t talked to Ella in over six months.”

He looked at Patrick. “Then why did Sam call her?”

That made Pat laugh. “Oh, Dad’s just covering his ass. I’m sure he thought the same thing I did. That she’d say keep her informed and that would be the end of it.” Pat chuckled. “Although I have to admit the idea of her here does amuse me.”

Both he and his Mom looked at Pat confused. Pat looked back at them grinning. “Ella likes to describe Mom as a ‘Ralph Lauren suburban mom’. It fits. She likes to pretend that she wasn’t raised in a small farming town in the middle of nowhere. First of her family to go to college and all that shit. That’s why she acts like Ella and I are wasting our lives doing what she considers frivolous.”

He looked at Pat shocked. “I’ve seen Ella’s tax returns. She makes bank writing.”

Pat looked at him like he was well, not bright. “If it was from writing the next great American novel that would be fine. But writing about rock music, not so much. Look Jax, our Mom is a snob, pure and simple.”

Gemma looked at Pat. “So what you’re sayin’ is she’s gonna flip over Ella being hooked up with a bunch of bikers.”

He shrugged. “Basically.” He shrugged again. “You should have seen the fit she had when Ella and Duncan divorced. You know why she called Twink? Because Twink is upper class, period.” Pat turned and headed back in.

He looked at his Mom. She looked back at him. “This should be fun.”

He chuckled. “As Twink put it, life’s about to get interesting. Let’s get back in to Thomas.” His Mom nodded as they went back in only to find Thomas on Sam’s lap, playing more poker.

He ruffled Thomas’s hair. “You like playing cards with Papa don’t ya bud?”

Thomas nodded happily. “I like to help count.”

Sam smiled as he took a drink of his coffee. “Thomas actually has a real affinity for numbers. More than either Ella or Pat did at his age.” Sam leaned into Thomas. “You like numbers bud?” 

Thomas nodded. “They’re easier than words. I can’t read like Abel”

He chuckled at that. “Buddy, Abel is three years older than you. He’s had more practice.” Thomas looked at him like it was something he hadn’t thought of.

As he was getting ready to assure his son that the reading would come in time, two things happened. Twink came in and his cel went off. He waved at Twink as he walked outside to answer his cel.

It was Chibs. “Jackie. Surprised ye’re up. How’s the littlest Teller?”

He sighed. “Like every morning after a nightmare. Like it didn’t happen. Although this time he wouldn’t tell me and Mom what it was about. Mom said he was screaming ‘No’ a bunch of times and then screaming for Mama. Sorry I didn’t call, he cried himself to sleep and I wasn’t that far behind him. Any changes there?”

Chibs chuckled sadly. “No, she’s silent and still. Nurses come in and out, and from what I can figure from the machines, everything is stable. Twink stopped in about an hour ago. He should be at the house anytime.”

He laughed. “Walked in right as you were calling. Want to hear something really strange?”

Chibs chuckled again. “Why not?”

He smiled, still not believing what he saw earlier. “When I woke up, Winston was laying with Thomas letting the little guy hold him like a teddy bear.”

Chibs sat there for a minute, and then laughed. “Fat, grumpy bastard of a cat, finally showing the ‘sweet’ side that our girl keeps talkin’ about.”

He laughed. “Yeah, Thomas was surprised that there was a cat here.” His laughter died down. “As soon as Abel is up, we’ll get the boys fed and dressed, then head over. You need anything?”

Chibs sighed. “A decent cup of coffee would be good.” Then he chuckled. “And some food, nurse said the cafeteria won’t be open for food ‘til nine.”

He nodded. “Food and coffee. I can do that. Anything else?”

“No, grabbed a paper to keep me occupied for a while.” Chibs sounded tired.

“Did you sleep at all?” If he hadn’t, he wasn’t above using the boys to get Chibs to sleep at the house tonight.

“Some. Between the chair and the machines, not a lot.” Chibs chuckled. “Gotta go Jackie, Doc is comin’ in.” The Scot hung up abruptly.

As he was getting to go back in, the patio door opened with Abel and Pup coming out, Thomas following. He smiled. “Morning buddy.”

Abel yawned as he ushered Pup to the part of the yard that had been set aside for Pup to do his business in. “Morning.” After Pup was put in his little area, Abel looked at him. “Why is Twink here? Is Mama okay?” That got Thomas’s attention.

He patted Abel on the back. “Just got off the phone with Uncle Chibs. Mama is fine, she’s still sleeping though. Remember she’s gonna be like that for a couple more days.” He gestured for both boys to come and sit. “Twink is here because he is gonna go get Mama’s Mom. She’s coming to see Mama, and we need to figure out where she is going to stay.”

Abel looked a little confused. “I’ve never met her. Mama says she’s really busy.”

He gave a silent thanks that Ella hadn’t passed her dislike for her mother on to Abel. “Yeah bud, she is, but not so busy that she wouldn’t come when Mama got hurt.”

Thomas looked concerned. He picked his younger son up. “What’s wrong buddy?”

Thomas shook his head. He hugged his son tighter. “Remember what I told ya? I can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Thomas whispered in his ear. “What if she gets mad at me?”

Once again he had to control the urge to not go down to the sheriff’s station and beat the both of them to death. His four-year-old son should not be stressing out over meeting his grandmother. He squeezed Thomas a little tighter. “She won’t be mad at you buddy. She knows that none of this is your fault.” He hoped, he really had no idea. “C’mon boys, looks like Uncle Pat is makin’ some breakfast. Let’s get you guys some food.”

He carried Thomas in as Abel followed with Pup on his heels. When they got back in he could see that the number of people in the house had increased. Both Nero and Tig had shown up, Tig looking hungover as hell.

Breakfast went smoothly, but after breakfast was an eye opener. Abel had taken a bath the night before, Thomas had not. So he was going to do what he had done with Abel in the past, just stick him in the shower with him. When he mentioned it to Thomas, the boy freaked out, screaming. “No!! Don’t want to! Please don’t make me!”

He went to go hug Thomas who backed away. That had never happened before, with the exception of that first night when Thomas had flinched when he had touched him. He looked around at the others, all of whom were looking as sick as he felt.

He inched closer to Thomas. “No worries buddy. How about while I’m taking a shower, Grandma gives ya a bath up in Mama’s room. Does that sound okay?”

Thomas calmed some. “Yeah.” 

His Mom took Thomas’s hand. “C’mon honey, let’s go pick out some clothes and we’ll go get ready to go see Mama and Uncle Chibs.” Thomas allowed her to lead him away.

The moment they left the room, his legs gave out. Luckily Tig was right there, putting a chair under him. He put his face in his hands for a few minutes, trying to figure out what the fuck just happened.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, Sam. “Yeah, Sam?”

Sam grimaced. “Hate to say it Jackson, but I think for the time being, you’re gonna have to let your Mom deal with things like this with Thomas. Until we know what happened, I think us guys are going to have to tread carefully with him.”

He nodded, knowing Sam was probably right. “Yeah. I guess.” Then looked around. “Where did Tig go?”

Twink looked nervous. “He bolted out of here the moment he got you in a chair.” The Englishman’s nervousness increased. “Jackson he looked murderous.”

He shook his head. Great, just what he needed. “He probably just went for a ride to calm down.”

Twink looked unconvinced. “If you say so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! I hope you're enjoying it. Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I love hearing your opinions!
> 
> Thanks to all who've left kudos and comments. They mean more than you'll know.


	60. Chapter Fifty-Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tiggy goes to get answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As ever, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Eli Roosevelt was sitting at his desk, trying to get some paperwork done when Tig Trager strode into his office, looking like a man on a mission. “What do you want Trager?”

The man looked at him with cold ice blue eyes that for once looked fairly sane. “I want to know if that fuck has said what he did to Thomas Teller.”

He shook his head. “Not really, just that he did whatever he wanted to the boy and Tara did nothing to stop it. Why?”

Trager took a seat. He nearly smiled. “Sure, have a seat.”

The other man gave him a withering look. He could understand why he had been SAMCRO’s SAA for the last fifteen, twenty years. Even after all of the years in gang task forces, Tig Trager was one of the more frightening individuals he had run across. “I want fifteen minutes with him. No cameras.”

He looked at Trager. “And why would I do that?”

Trager looked back at him placidly. “Because what that asshole did bothers you as much as it bothers us, and as much as you don’t like SAMCRO, you wouldn’t take that out on a four-year-old boy.”

He looked back at the man that he had once told Ella was an illiterate thug. Ella had smiled at him saying that he had no idea who Tig Trager really was. Looks like she was right. “You really aren’t as stupid as you pretend to be are you?”

Trager smiled. “Do you really think the Marines turn idiots into snipers? Remember, we all had lives before SAMCRO. Well, all of us other than Jax.”

He nodded, thinking it over. “What brought this on?”

Trager sighed. “Thomas freaked out this morning, pretty obvious it was over what had been done to him. Jax has his hands full with both of the boys, Chibs isn’t leaving the hospital. So that leaves me to get some fucking answers. You gonna give me that fifteen minutes or not?”

Eli looked at the man. “If I do, you can’t beat the crap out of him. Scare him, sure. But no physical contact.” He couldn’t believe he was actually going to let this happen, but Trager had seemed pretty disconcerted by whatever had happened this morning. And if this man was disconcerted, whatever happened had to be bad. Very bad.

Trager nodded. “I think I can do that. Well, at least there won’t be anything that can be seen.”

He sighed. He liked Ella, even if he didn’t like her taste in men. And no child deserved to go through what Thomas Teller had gone through. “Go into the interrogation room. I’ll bring him in. Fifteen minutes, not a second more. And I’ll shut the cameras off.”

Trager nodded, getting up heading for the room that Tig had probably spent more time in than he had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you're enjoying it! Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I love hearing from you!
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked that kudo button, or taken the time to comment. They are appreciated more than you know.


	61. Chapter Sixty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tig talks to Brent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

He wasn’t sure why he had done this other than he couldn’t stand to see the little guy on pins and needles all of the time. Even when the boy seemed okay he could see that Thomas was acting like it would all be pulled out from underneath him. And that fuckin' bothered him.

He sat in the interrogation room. It was weird being in here and not waiting for someone to question him on some shit.

Roosevelt brought the asshole in, looking at him. “Fifteen minutes.”

“Yeah.” He nodded not taking his eyes off of the man Roosevelt brought in. Roosevelt left, closing the door. He looked at the asshole. “Sit.”

The man stood there trying to look smug. “Do you really think I’m going to take orders from some biker?”

He stood, snaking an arm out and grabbing the prick at a pressure point in the elbow. He could see the pain on the man’s face. He smiled his crazy smile. “I said sit.”

The man sat. When the bastard did, he let go of the elbow, enjoying watching the other man try to rub the pain away. The man tried to give him a look meant to scare him. He chuckled. “You may be able to scare a little boy, but you couldn’t even frighten a woman. Well, other than Tara.”

He sat back really looking at the other man. Tara went the exact opposite direction from Jax. This guy was a little taller than him, but thin, not a lot of muscle. He had dark hair cut short with small dark eyes set in a patrician face. He looked like the tax attorney he was.

He leaned over the table, the other man leaned back. He smiled again. “You are going to tell me exactly what you did to Thomas Teller.”

The man shook his head. “I know my rights. I don’t have to tell you anything.”

Tig laughed. It wasn’t a pleasant laugh. He enjoyed watching the man flinch. “You think this has anything to do with the legal system? You’re just like Tara, think you’re smarter than everyone else. You are going to tell me what I want to know and you’re going to do it now. None of this is on the record you fucking moron.”

The man sat back, Tig could see the wheels spinning. Finally, the man sighed. “Fine. I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

He stayed still, trying to keep himself from killing the asshole sitting in front of him. “Go ahead.”

The man started to talk. By the time he had finished, Tig felt sick. No wonder Thomas freaked out when Jax mentioned the shower. The prick looked at him, completely unapologetic. “Is there anything else?”

He thought. “Yeah. How much did Tara know?”

The other man, Brent was the name Waylon had told him, smiled. It was the sleaziest fucking smile that he had seen in a while. And he was an expert on sleazy. “Some of it, but she’s so deep into the Oxy, she couldn’t be bothered to care. Well, that is until she tried to stop me from getting what I wanted from her. Then she ran.” The man paused. “Can I ask a question?”

He shrugged. “You can ask. I may not answer.”

The man nodded. “Would that woman have really killed me?”

He grinned. “You bet your fucking ass she would have. I’m the only thing that stopped her from killing Tara, and the only reason I did that was there were customers on the lot. Lucky for you La doesn’t like guns. If she had been carryin’, she’da just shot ya in the head and stepped over your body to get back to Thomas. She was gonna gut Tara, and had she not been more worried about getting Thomas inside, she would have gutted you, I know she carries a knife.” He didn't bother to mention that he knew that because he was the one that gave her the Marine issue K-Bar that she carried in her bag.

The other man paled as he absorbed the information. Before either of them could say anything, Roosevelt came back in, looking at him. “You done?”

He nodded and Roosevelt took the prick away. He was almost sorry he made that promise to the sheriff, because there was nothing more he would like to do than kill the man. The only thing that gave him comfort was knowing that brown would be handling shit the second this creep went to county.

Roosevelt came back into the room. “Did he tell you what you wanted to know?”

He nodded. “Yeah, although I almost wish he hadn’t.” He stood. “I don’t know if he had a laptop with him, but you’ll probably want to call the Feds and have them search his computer in North Carolina. They’ll be able to nail him on child porn charges. I gotta get back to the hospital, check in on Ella. Let Jax know what this prick said.”

Roosevelt stood also. “Cameras are still off so if you repeat this, I’ll deny it. I hope you guys have a plan to deal with this slime ball when he hits county.”

Tig gave nothing away. “No idea what you’re talking about.”

Roosevelt smiled. “Didn’t think you would.” He opened the interrogation room door, “I’ll probably be around later, check in on Ella.”

“Yeah.” He walked out of the room. “See ya around.” Leaving the station. When he got on his bike, he pulled out his cel, calling Jax.

Jax answered. “Where the fuck are you? Twink said you looked pretty fuckin’ chapped when you left. Tell me you just went for a ride and I don’t have something else to worry about.”

He shrugged. “Not really?” He sighed. “Couldn’t stand how Thomas reacted to the whole shower thing earlier. Went to get answers.”

Jax paused. “And? Roosevelt actually let you talk to him?”

He closed his eyes. “Yeah. Got the answers we wanted.” He sighed again. “Ya ain’t gonna like it. At fucking all.”

“Was already pretty sure that I wouldn’t. Get your ass to the hospital, we’re at Hanna’s waiting on food for Chibs. I wanna hear what he said.” Jax hung up.

He started his bike and made his way to the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. Love, love hearing your takes on things!
> 
> Thanks to those who have left kudos and comments. They are appreciated.


	62. Chapter Sixty-One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone arrives at the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> I know I'm posting a lot today, but I get to the end of every chapter and think, 'God, I'd be such a bitch to leave them hanging here.' Hope you don't mind. LOL.

He was sitting in Ella’s hospital room, waiting on Jackie and the lads when Tig entered. The man looked hungover and disturbed. “What’s wrong Tiggy?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. He was tired and he was sore from trying to sleep in the chair.

Tig sighed as he sat in the other chair. “Thomas freaked out this morning. Jax said something about puttin’ Thomas in the shower with him since he didn’t take a bath last night.” Tiggy shook his head. “The kid fuckin’ lost it.”

He closed his eyes. How were they supposed to help the lad when they had no idea what happened? “Yeah, that would sit wrong with me.”

Tig looked at him again. His face as serious as Tig’s face ever got. “Went to the station. Convinced Roosevelt to let me talk to the fuckin’ prick.” Tig ran a hand over his face. “Got the answers, but nobody is gonna like ‘em.” Tig looked at him, his eyes haunted. “Fuck. I almost wish I hadn’t asked.”

He sat there for a minute. Tig wasn’t the world’s sanest man, and his sexual proclivities would make well over ninety-five percent of the population cringe, but the man did have lines that he had never crossed, kids being one of them. Tig may have his way with a corpse, but not a kid. “How bad Tig?” 

Tig shook his head. “I’m gonna wait for Jax. I really don’t want to say this more than once.” Tig looked over at the bed. “How’s she doin’?”

He sighed. “Stable. Recovering. All of the things that they fuckin’ tell ye when they have no idea what to say. They really won’t be able to say much until she wakes up, which will be Tuesday at the earliest.” Then he smiled slightly. “But I did get to hear the babies’ heartbeats. They seem strong.” 

That got a smile out of Tig. “That’s good. Jax, Gem, and the boys should be here anytime. They were waitin’ on food for ya.”

He nodded. “Good. About four this morning I actually got into the animal crackers the lads put in the backpack. Do me a favor, let me eat first before ya tell us what happened to the littlest Teller.”

Tig nodded. “Sure, but good luck keepin’ it down.”

He closed his eyes for a moment. Then reached into the backpack, pulling out the bottle of whiskey and took a swig. He handed the bottle to Tig who took a long pull. After handing it back to him, Tig grinned. “Nice addition.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, it was. Only reason I got what little sleep I did.” As much as he didn’t want to leave Ella, he may have to sleep at home tonight. He’d be no good to anyone if he was exhausted.

Tig nodded and the two sat in silence until the door opened, bringing Thomas and Abel in with Jackie and Gem following. Thomas crawled up in his lap. He hugged the lad to him. “Morning lad. Ye have a good morning?” He could feel the lad shrug into him.

Jackie handed him a bag. “Breakfast. Hanna said if ya want anything, just call down, she’ll have one of the kids run it over.”

He nodded as he opened the Styrofoam container that had eggs, bacon, home fries, and wheat toast. He started eating as a nurse came in to check things. As she was, Gemma questioned her about Ella’s condition. The nurse assured Gem that everything was good. He continued to eat after the nurse left, noticing the looks Jackie and Tig were giving each other.

Abel had set himself up in the plastic visitor’s chair, pulling it close to his Mama’s bed. He looked at Abel. “Ye can hold her hand if ye want lad. She’d probably like that.” The lad nodded, not saying a thing. With all of the worry over Thomas, he was afraid that they had forgotten that in some ways this had to be far harder on Abel. He reached over and squeezed the lad’s shoulder. “Ye okay lad?”

The others looked at Abel, who looked back to him. “Yes. It’s just that Mama is never this quiet. It’s weird.”

He chuckled. “Aye, lad it certainly is.” Then he looked around. “Where are Sam and Patrick?”

Gemma chuckled. “Pat went with Twink to pick La’s Mom up, and Sam said he was going to get some work done, he’d be up in a bit.” She looked at him and Jackie. “I’m gonna step out for a sec, call Lyla and Nero to update them.”

He continued to eat while they waited for Gemma to come back into the room. Thomas still sitting on his lap. They all felt the need to be quiet regardless the fact that they could probably set off small ordinance and not wake Ella.

He finished eating, looking at Jackie. “Thanks. Needed that.”

Jackie gave him a nod, still exchanging looks with Tig. When Gemma came back in, Jackie looked at her. “Need to talk to Tig and Chibs, can you stay with the boys?”

Gemma nodded, not looking real thrilled. She looked at her son. “You’ll fill me in later?”

Jackie nodded at her, then looked at him. “Why don’t we take this outside, grab a smoke?”

Both he and Tiggy nodded. He got up and the three of them left Gemma and the boys to keep watch over Ella.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. I love hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to those who have left kudos and comments. They are much appreciated.


	63. Chapter Sixty-Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tig tells Jax and Chibs what he found out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> This is the chapter where we find out what happened to Thomas. I promise I did not get very graphic and it is very brief. Most of the chapter is reaction. You've been warned.

When they got outside, Jax lit a smoke and looked at Tig. “What did he tell you?”

Tig looked down at the ground as he exhaled the smoke from his cigarette. He could tell that Tig didn’t want to tell him and Chibs what that prick had said. He reached over and patted his SAA’s arm. “We gotta know, brother.”

Tig sighed. “Yeah.” He took another drag of his cigarette. “The only good news is that the prick didn’t do things to Thomas.” Tig looked back down at the ground, like it was easier to say if he wasn’t looking at him and Chibs. “First of all, he got Tara deeper into the Oxy so he could do whatever he wanted. He would blow hot and cold with Thomas, keeping the kid all turned around so that he could get Thomas to do whatever he wanted him to. That includes not feeding him some days, or giving him food and taking it away as Thomas was eating.” He could see Tig clench his jaw as he spoke. “He’d put Thomas in the shower with him and make him…” Tig looked up at the both of them, his blue eyes haunted. He had the feeling Tig would be drinking himself into oblivion again tonight. And possibly many nights to come. He found himself wishing for a night or two like that, but as Ella liked to say, ‘being a big person sucks’.

Chibs looked at Tig, his dark eyes pained and tired. “Go on Tiggy. I know ye don’t want to, but it’s the only way we can help the lad.”

Tig nodded. “He’d make Thomas jack him off, or blow him.” Tig said it as quickly as he could.

He looked at Chibs, who was starting to look nauseous. He felt much the same way. Chibs looked at Tig. “Is that it Tig?”

Tig shook his head, tears starting to form in his eyes. “Prick made videos of it, trading with other pricks who think it’s okay to do this to little kids.” Tig looked at both of them. “I did tell Roosevelt to call the Feds, have them get into the bastard’s computer in North Carolina.”

He sat down, having no idea what to fucking do. He could feel Chibs sit next to him. He wished that they had found a private place to have this talk, because at the moment there was nothing he needed more than to break down for a minute, punch a wall, scream, something to alleviate all of the rage and guilt he currently felt.

He almost smiled as Chibs put an arm around him. It wasn't the same show of camaraderie that it usually was in public, this was a far more intimate embrace. There were times when Chibs just didn’t give a fuck. “Ye need to let it out Jackie. Can’t go back in to the lads like this. They’ll know.” He could hear the tears in Chibs voice.

He nodded. Not able to speak. He felt Tig sit down on his other side, trying to shield him from anyone who may be in the immediate vicinity. He let the tears come, feeling his body shake with them. He leaned into Chibs, whose arm wrapped around him even tighter. He could feel Tig’s hand on his back. The three of them sat like that for a while, until he had cried himself out. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he had failed his son. He was supposed to protect him, keep him safe, and let him grow up thinking that the world is a place full of good people. Thomas wasn’t supposed to know that there was this kind of evil in the world at the age of four.

He took a deep breath and looked over at Chibs, who also had tears coming down his face. Chibs looked so tired, which made him feel even worse. “Now we know, what do we do?”

Chibs sighed, wiping the tears away. “Don’t know Jackie, wish I had a magic answer for ye. But now that we know what happened we can avoid situations that’ll set the lad off.” Chibs’s arm squeezed a little tighter. “Think we’ll have to wait ‘til our girl wakes up. She’ll have a plan.”

Tig’s voice was soft and sane on his other side. “Chibs is right. Gotta wait for La to wake up.” 

“Yeah.” He bowed his head. “Guess that’s all we can do.” He fumbled for another cigarette. Tig stilled his shaking hand. “I gotcha brother.” 

Tig handed him a lit cigarette. “Shoulda brought the bottle out with us.”

He chuckled darkly. “Nah, wouldn’t be anywhere close to enough.”

Chibs nodded. “Got that right. Only a third of a bottle left anyway. Took about half of it for me to get any sleep.” Chibs stood up, stretching. “I do have some good news.”

He looked up, wiping his own eyes. “I could use some.”

Chibs smiled down at him. “When the Doc came in, they let me hear the babies’ heartbeats. They’re strong Jackie.”

That was good news. He smiled. “Really?”

Chibs nodded, still smiling. “Yeah, Jackie, really.” Chibs put out a hand. He took it as the Scot pulled him up. “Let’s get back to our girl and all of the babies’.” 

He nodded. “Yeah. Now we just have to figure out how to tell Gemma and Sam.” He was not looking forward to telling his mother. She may go down to the station and kill Tara. He knew as far as his mother was concerned, it wouldn’t matter that Tara hadn’t participated in the abuse. It was Tara’s job to keep Thomas safe and whole and she had failed miserably, in the most selfish way.

Chibs gave his hand a small squeeze. “We’ll wait for Sam, and if ye want, I’ll talk to ‘em.”

He shrugged. “We should probably wait for Pat and Twink too. I really don’t want to have to say this shit more than once.” He wasn’t sure he even wanted to say it once.

Tig stood up. “Think I’ll head back to the clubhouse. You want me to tell the others?”

He thought for a minute, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, probably should, so they don’t accidentally do something that would freak Thomas out.” He looked at Tig thankfully. “Sorry to put that on ya brother.”

Tig shrugged it off. “No worries.” Tig started to walk off as an ambulance pulled up. When the stretcher was pulled out, they could see Tara on it, semi-conscious and puking, a female sheriff escorting her. Tig turned and walked back.

A minute later they saw Roosevelt’s vehicle pull up. The Sheriff stopped as he reached them. “See that Trager told you about his visit this morning.”

He nodded. “Yeah.” Then gestured at the ambulance. “What’s going on with that?”

Roosevelt shrugged. “Went to take her breakfast, found her almost unconscious, covered in puke. My guess is that she’s detoxing.” He looked at the three of them. “Do me a favor, don’t kill her here. I don’t need the headache of the paperwork.”

He looked at the Sheriff. “No plans to, think it’s a far bigger punishment for her to live knowing she’s lost her son forever.” He had no plans on telling the Sheriff that Tara wouldn’t last long once she made it to women’s county lock up.

Roosevelt nodded and headed inside.

Tig looked at him. “Roosevelt told me when I was at the station that he hoped we had a plan to deal with that prick when he reached county. But he’d deny it if anyone asked.”

He wasn’t shocked by that. Eli had an odd relationship with the club. There were times he was an adversary, there were times he was a friend.

Chibs pushed him back towards the hospital. “C’mon Jackie. Let’s get back to the lads.”

Tig waved to them saying that he would check back in later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it. Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I love hearing from you guys!
> 
> Thanks to all who've left kudos and taken the time to comment. It means a lot.


	64. Chapter Sixty-Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twink and Patrick pick up Pat and Ella's mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Pat stood at the gate his mother was supposed to de-plane at, not looking forward to seeing her. Twink stood next to him, checking his phone. He looked over at him. “What’s up?”

Twink looked over at him. “Duncan checking in. He wants to know if we need him to come.”

He shook his head. “No.” He looked at Twink. “I know that they’re still family to Ella, but I think anymore new people will just overwhelm Thomas. Let Ella decide that when she’s able to.”

Twink nodded. “That’s what I just texted Duncan.” The man who his sister considered her other brother smiled. “I’m quite aware of what your sister would want done.”

He looked at Twink again. “Fuck Twink, she’s as much your sister as mine. You’ve basically spent almost every day of the last twenty odd years with her. The only other person who might know her as well as you do is Filip.” Then he grinned at the man. “And that’s only because he sleeps with her.”

Twink chuckled. “That is true.” Twink gestured towards the gate. “Are you ready? Here she comes.”

He shook his head. “Not really, but I guess I’ll have to be.”

His mother came up to them, a carry-on suitcase rolling behind her. She gave him a quick hug. “What happened Patrick?”

He sighed. “I’m not going to discuss this in the middle of an airport. I’ll tell you when we get to Twink’s car.”

His mother snorted. “Why the two of you insist on calling William by that ridiculous nickname is beyond me.” Then looked at Twink. “And why you allow it.”

Twink looked back at her nonplussed. “I don’t mind it. It’s a nickname that was given with love, not malice, Judith. And be prepared, it’s all the others call me by.”

After determining that she had no other bags, they walked out to Twink’s car. When they got in and Twink started to drive away, she turned to him. “What happened Patrick? Your father said that your sister had been shot by someone trying to take Thomas. Thomas is the son that was taken away two years ago, correct?”

He nodded and explained the entire situation to her. When he had finished, she looked at him again. “How in the world did your sister get herself into a mess like this? She should be smarter than that.”

He could feel himself starting to lose his temper. “That kind of talk stops here. You got that? Ella fell in love, pure and simple. And she is loved in return. When Tara took off, all she saw was a little boy who needed a Mom, and considering our childhood, she wasn’t going to walk away from that. If you actually spent any time talking with her, instead of at her, you would know that. And the most important thing? Your daughter is happy. She enjoys her life. Shouldn’t that be paramount?”

Twink reached back and patted his arm. “Patrick, trying to explain this is futile.” Twink looked sideways at his mother. “If she hasn’t understood that by now, she never will.” Twink continued. “In fact, I have to admit, I’m at a loss to why you are even here.”

His mother looked ashen at Twink’s assessment. “Regardless of what either one of you think, she is my daughter and I do care about what happens to her.” She looked back at Patrick. “I’m trying to figure out why your father called me and not you.”

He looked back at her, unapologetic. “Because Ella wouldn’t have wanted me to.” He sighed. “You haven’t even bothered to try to meet your grandson.” Then shook his head. “Well, now grandsons. As soon as Ella is conscious, Jonathan will have her sign the adoption papers for Thomas.”

His cel rang, he looked at it, then answered. “Jackson. Is Ella alright?” He agreed with his sister, cats were named Jax, not people.

Jackson’s voice was strained in his ear. “Yeah, she’s fine. When you and Twink get back, I need to talk to the two of you with my Mom and your Dad. Tig found out what happened to Thomas.” Jackson’s voice started to shake. “It’s bad, Pat. I wanted to give you two a heads up. And I don’t want your Mom to know until we know if we can trust her.”

He nodded. “Okay. I’ll let Twink know. You and Filip okay?”

Jackson sighed. “Not really, but we really don’t have a choice, do we?”

“I suppose not. We should be there within the hour.” He closed his eyes, wondering what had Jackson so shaken.

“We’ll see you then.” Jackson hung up.

Twink looked at him in the rearview mirror. “Is Ella alright?”

He nodded, “Yeah. Guess Tig got the answers we were looking for. Jackson wanted to let us know.”

Twink had a small smile on his face. “I guess he didn’t just go for a ride as Jackson assumed.” He had a feeling that Twink knew Tig better than any of them, other than maybe his sister was aware of.

His mother looked at him again. “What are the two of you talking about?”

He gave her a blank look. “Nothing that you need to concern yourself with.”

Twink interjected, trying to head off a fight. “The two of you need to come to an understanding.” Twink looked at him. “I know for a fact that Ella has hidden the difficult relationship she has with Judith from Abel, the lad just thinks that she’s very busy and that’s why he hasn’t met her yet.” Twink’s voice became stern, looking at his mother. “And if an understanding cannot be reached, I’ll turn this car around and put you back on a plane home. Am I understood?”

He nodded, knowing the Englishman was right. “Fine.” He looked at his mother. “They don’t know you. At all. You will just have to resign yourself that for the moment there are things you will not be told. Filip knows all about the relationship, or lack thereof between you and Ella. If he says you aren’t to be told something, everyone will follow his lead.” He smiled. “My advice? Play nice, and show the boys that you can be their Grandma. That will go a long way with all of them.”

His mother sighed. “Okay.” Then looked back at him again. “Patrick, I am aware that I wasn’t a good mother to you and Ella. That I haven’t always agreed with the choices that either of you has made. But I am proud of the people that you both have become, even if I don’t always show it. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

He nodded, all of a sudden very tired. What he had thought would be a nice relaxing weekend of golf, football, and family had turned into a nightmare. “I’ll be nice, but you need to check that judgmental streak of yours. You won’t approve of SAMCRO, we already know that, but please treat everyone with respect.”

She nodded, lighting a cigarette. They spent the rest of the trip in silence. Which was fine with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it. I love hearing your opinions, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to those who have left kudos and taken the time to comment. It means a lot.


	65. Chapter Sixty-Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judith arrives at the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

After getting off the phone with Pat, he made his way back into Ella’s room. Chibs was back in the recliner with Thomas in his lap. Thomas was napping.

Abel was still in the plastic chair, playing a game on his tablet. He knew that Ella tried to limit the amount of time he spent on the thing, but at the moment he thought she would understand.

His Mom came over, standing close and speaking low. “What’s going on Jackson?”

He shook his head. “I want to wait until Sam, Pat and Twink are here. Don’t want to have to say this more than once.”

His mother peered at him. “That bad?”

He nodded. “Yeah.” Then pulled her further away from Abel. “But I can tell you this. Tara was brought in. Roosevelt thinks it’s the detoxing from the Oxy. He’s asked that we don’t kill her here. You hear me?”

She closed her eyes and then nodded. “I hear you.”

He nodded and walked over to Abel. “Whatcha playin’ bud?”

Abel looked up. “I’m not playing, I’m dueling.” Then Abel smiled. “I’m a wizard.”

He chuckled as he lifted Abel so he could sit down, putting Abel on his lap. “Ah…you’re on your Harry Potter site, huh?”

Abel nodded, concentrating on his wizard’s duel. He smiled. He understood why Abel was playing this here. It was something he usually did with his Mama. There were some things that Ella was as big of a kid about as Abel was. Harry Potter was one of them.

They all sat quietly until Sam came in. He looked around at the group, then at his daughter. “Any changes?”

Chibs shook his head. “No, they say she’s progressing the way they expected.” His voice subdued because of the sleeping boy in his lap.

Sam looked at both he and Chibs, probably noticing the tension in both of their bodies. But smart enough to not mention it.

A nurse came in to do the hourly check on the machines. When she saw all of them gathered in the room, she gave a smile. “I’m Amanda. I’ll be Ella’s nurse until four this afternoon. After I check on her, I’ll find an orderly to bring in some more chairs.”

Sam nodded and thanked her. After she left, he followed her out, probably to find out what was going on out of earshot of the boys.

After the orderly brought in more chairs, Gemma’s phone went off. She looked down. “Shit.” She looked up at him and Chibs. “Cynda.”

Both he and Chibs grimaced. He looked at his Mom. “Go ahead, take it. Tell them not to rush back, nothing they can do.” She nodded, leaving the room.

When his Mom and Sam came back in they were followed by Twink, Pat, and a woman who could only be Ella’s Mom. While he had previously thought how much Ella resembled her Dad, she looked far more like her mother. She resembled Sam in hair color, or so he had been told, Sam’s hair was now pure white, and around the mouth and chin. But everything else was her Mom. He wasn’t proud of the thought, but it was good to know that Ella would age well.

She had dark hair streaked with silver and white, and the same large eyes that Ella possessed, except her mother’s were as dark as Chibs. She was as tall as Ella, same long limbs. Her hips and breasts were fuller, but he knew that was due to four kids.

Pat introduced her to all of them. When he and Chibs went to stand, she gestured for them to stay seated, noticing the boys in their laps.

He nudged Abel. “Hey buddy, time to stop being a wizard for a minute. You need to say hello to your other Grandma.” Abel nodded and backed out of the website.

Abel slid down from his lap and walked over to Judith. “Hi. I’m Abel. You’re my Grandma Judith, right? Mama showed me pictures.” He smiled at the excitement in Abel’s voice. More grandparents were always welcome. His son was no dummy, he knew grandparents spoiled you where Mama and Dad couldn’t or wouldn’t.

Abel’s voice woke Thomas up. Thomas looked around and when his eyes fell on Ella’s mom, his little body filled with tension. Chibs hugged him. “It’s okay lad, it’s just Mama’s Mum. Remember we told you she was comin’ to see Mama?”

Thomas nodded, still shy. Chibs leaned down. “If ye aren’t comfortable yet, ye don’t have to say anything, lad.” Thomas nodded into Chibs chest. Chibs rubbed his back. “Ye thirsty lad?” Thomas nodded again. Chibs smiled. “Guess what? I found a room last night where we can go get snacks and drinks. Why don’t we go check it out?” Thomas nodded again. Chibs looked at Abel. “Ye wanna come too lad? See what they’ve got?”

Abel nodded enthusiastically. “Do you think they’ll have Apple juice?” Taking Chibs free hand.

Chibs nodded. “Think I saw some down there last night. Let’s go find out if my eyes were right.” Chibs nodded as Pat opened the door for them. “We’ll be back in a minute.”

After they left, Ella’s mom looked at him. “I thought they were your sons?”

He nearly laughed as his Mom jumped all over that shit. “And Chibs is their step-father. Ella makes little distinction between the two.”

Ella’s mother nodded. “My apologies.” She looked at Gemma with a look similar to her daughter’s. “I’m just trying to get the lay of the land.”

Gemma was unrelenting. “Well, if you had tried to be a part of La’s life, you would already know that shit.” She looked at him. “I’m going outside for a smoke, check in at the clubhouse.” Then she walked out of the room.

Ella’s mom looked at him. “That was pleasant.”

He shrugged. “My Mom is protective of the people she loves. She will never apologize for it, and I won’t apologize for her. It’s who she is.”

Judith looked at him, blinking. “That’s fair enough.” She sighed. “I didn’t come here to fight with people. I came because my daughter was hurt. I’m trying to figure out why.” She walked over to the bed, looking down at her daughter. He wished Gemma had stayed in the room, because no matter how their relationship played out when things were fine, he could see the concern and care in her eyes.

He looked at her, and patted her arm. “She was hurt by a man who had spent the last year and a half abusing Thomas. He tried to take him. Ella refused to let that happen. Trust me, she saved him from a terrible situation, and if you asked her, she would tell you being here was worth it.”

Her mother nodded, tears starting to form. “She’s always been a protector. When she was technically in sixth grade, she ran across a kid who had run away from home, biking the twenty miles from his town to ours. He was going to sleep outside on the high jump pads that the high school left out on the track. Ella wouldn’t have it. She snuck him in the house, gave him food, let him sleep in her bed while she slept on the floor.” She chuckled slightly. “As smart as she was, she tried to take him to school, trying to pass him off as a cousin on my side of the family, not thinking of the trouble she could get into, just that the kid needed help.” She looked at him. “ A few years later that kid worked for my late husband. He told me my daughter saved his life.”

He nodded. He could totally see a twelve-year-old Ella doing that. “She was what? Twelve?”

Her mom shook her head. “Eleven. She was the youngest in her class, well, if she would have been in a class. Other than art, music, and PE, she was in a class by herself by the time she was eight.” She smiled. “By that time she was reading at the level of college senior.”

He went to say something when Chibs came back in with the boys, loaded down with juice and snacks. He looked at Abel. “Did you guys leave anything for other people?” He was chuckling.

Abel looked at him, eyes wide. “Dad, you should see all of the stuff they have down there!”

Chibs was smiling. “They thought that some of the others would like things to drink.”

Gemma returned at that moment, walking over to Ella’s mom. “Sorry I lost it. It’s been a long few days, my temper sometimes gets the best of me.” He, Chibs, and Twink looked at each other. Gemma rarely apologized. Twink’s eyes went towards the bed for a second, then to the boys. He got it, his mom was doing it for Ella, Abel, and Thomas.

Chibs looked at him. “Jackie, why don’t ye take yer Mom, Sam, Pat and Twink and go fill ‘em in. I’ll stay here with the lads.”

He nodded, he knew he should get this over as soon as he could. Looking at the others. “Sam, Twink, I know you don’t smoke, but the rest of us are gonna want one. So why don’t we head outside.” Before he left, he kissed both boys on the head. “Be good. We’ll be right back. Then maybe we should think about what you guys want to do for lunch.”

Thomas looked at him. “Can I have chicken from the place Mama took me to? I like those.”

He smiled widely. “You bet buddy. When we get back we’ll get everyone’s order and call Hanna. You wanna help me go get it? Be my helper guy?”

Thomas gifted him with a wide smile. “Yeah! I wanna help.”

He nodded. “Well helper guy, we’ll do that after Daddy gets back. Okay?”

Thomas nodded as Chibs looked at him. “Go Jackie. We’ll be fine. They need to know.”

He nodded, leaving the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! I love hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to those who have left kudos and taken the time to comment. It means a great deal.


	66. Chapter Sixty-Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chibs stays with Judith and the boys while Jax tells the others what happened. Then Chibs has to go talk Jax down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

After Jackie and the others left the room, he sat back down in the recliner, Thomas climbing back up on his lap. Ella’s Mum looked at him. “He seems rather attached to you.”

He looked at her, not really wanting to answer, but he didn’t want Abel and Thomas to pick up on his innate dislike for the woman. He nodded. “Aye.”

She nodded. He almost chuckled as Abel sidled up to her. “Do you want some juice? I got some orange, apple or grape.” The lad made a face at the grape juice.

Ella’s Mum chuckled. “I take it you’re not a fan of grape juice?”

Abel shook his head. “Not really. I like apple juice, and pineapple juice. Oh, and Mama gets this peach, pineapple, mango juice. That’s good.”

The woman smiled. “You seem to be a juice expert.” He had to give her credit, she was handling Abel well. Then he remembered what Ella had said once, that if the woman wasn’t her mother, she’d probably like her a great deal.

Abel beamed. “Well, I like juice. Other than milk and water, it’s all that Mama lets me drink.” Then Abel looked over at his silent, still Mama, then still whispered. “Sometimes Dad and Uncle Chibs will let me have Sprite or Root Beer. And Papa let me have some of his Dr. Pepper.” The boy smiled and he looked exactly like his Da. “That was awesome.” 

That made him chuckle. “Lad, yer Mama knows we give ye Sprite and Root Beer. Do ye think anything happens in our house that Mama doesn’t know?”

It warmed his heart that it was Thomas who answered, the lad slowly coming out of his shell with Ella’s Mum. “No. Mama knows everything.”

He chuckled at the lad. “Almost everything, lad. Even Mama would tell ye there are things she doesn’t know.” He looked over at Abel. “But when it comes to what happens in our house, yer brother is right, she knows all.”

Judith looked on as Abel nodded. “I know.” Then the lad looked at him with wide eyes. “But don’t tell her about Papa. She’ll yell at him when she wakes up.”

He was surprised when Judith answered. “Abel, I wouldn’t be surprised if she already knows. Your Papa did the same thing with your Mama and Uncle Patrick when they were your age.” She chuckled. “It used to drive me crazy.”

He watched the lad sigh in relief, looking at her. “Are you sure? Because I would feel bad if I got him in trouble.”

She reached out and Abel went right to her. She put an arm around the lad. “I’m sure. And if she does, you let me know, and I’ll remind her that her Grandpa used to give her coffee.”

He chuckled at that, looking at the woman. “That’s who to blame for her coffee addiction.”

Judith laughed. “Him, her uncles, and unfortunately me. It drove my Mom nuts. The poor woman would call and ask how she was supposed to peel her off of the ceiling.”

Thomas looked at her. “Why was Mama on the ceiling?”

Judith looked at Thomas with the eyes that were so much like Ella’s. They may have been dark, but they were just as expressive. “It’s a figure of speech, honey. It means that her Grandma couldn’t get her to settle down.”

Thomas nodded. “Okay.” Then the lad shocked him by getting off of his lap and walking over to Judith and climbing on her lap. The woman looked as shocked as he was, but still folded Thomas into her arms. Thomas looked up at her. “But Mama was a good kid, right?”

Judith nodded. “For the most part.” She gave the lad a small squeeze. “All kids get into trouble; it’s how you learn. But the trouble your Mama got into had more to do with things like reading a book instead of picking up her room. Little stuff like that.” He almost had to shove a fist in his mouth to keep from bursting out in laughter at the huge whopping lie the woman had just told. He knew that from the ages of fourteen to sixteen, Ella had been no walk in the park. As their girl had said, they gave her an inch and she took five miles.

Thomas nodded, then slipped back off of her lap and climbing back onto his, resting his head on his chest. They sat silently for a few minutes, and within that small time frame Thomas had fallen asleep again.

Judith looked at him curiously. He looked back at her. “Lad has been having nightmares, so Ella has been letting him take little cat naps during the day. He’ll wake up for lunch.”

She nodded, then looked at Abel. “What were you playing when I came in?” He was grateful that she had distracted the lad.

He smiled as Abel went and grabbed his tablet, chattering excitedly about Harry Potter and wizards. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Ella’s Mum bein’ here. She seemed to be sincere, but he knew that Ella and Pat didn’t trust her at all. He didn’t want to discourage the lads, but he also didn’t want to set them up to get hurt.

He looked up as the door opened and the others, all save Jackie, came back in. All looked mildly disturbed, which they should.

Gem walked over to him and Thomas. “Jax needs to talk to ya. He’s in an empty room three doors down.” Her eyes looked haunted. He knew the feeling.

“Aye. Take Thomas for me. If the lad wakes up, tell him we’ll be right back and then he can go with his Da to get lunch. Ye may as well call in the order. Ye know what me and Jackie will eat.” He stood with Thomas in his arms.

She nodded as she took Thomas from him. “Okay honey. Go.” Her eyes were frantic, even if her voice was not.

He nodded and walked to the room she had told him Jackie was hidin’ in, because that’s what he was doin’. Hidin’. From the boys, from Ella’s Mum. He knew that Jackie was a heartbeat away from a total breakdown.

He pushed the door open, and as it closed locked it behind him. Jackie didn’t even look up from where he was sitting on the floor, just kept staring at somethin’ only he could see. “Jackie.” Jackie didn’t look up.

He slid down the wall to sit beside Jackie. He could see the tears coming down Jackie’s face. He reached over and pulled Jackie into his arms. “I know Jackie.”

The words that came out of Jackie’s mouth nearly broke his heart. God, he wished Ella was awake. “I failed him, Chibs. I failed my son and he paid such a heavy price.”

He held Jackie tighter. “Ye didn’t fail Thomas Jackie, ye didn’t. Tara did. What were ye supposed to do, not leave her alone with her son? None of us knew she was gonna take off. If ye had, ye never would have let her be with the lad alone. Ye gotta believe that Jackie.”

He wasn’t sure if his words got through, so he just continued to sit there holding Jackie. After a bit Jackie sat back up, wiping his eyes. “I know, but it still feels like I did.” Jackie let out a shaky breath. “And the only thing I want to do right now is march into the room they have Tara in and just fuckin’ wring her neck until it snaps.”

“I know Jackie, I feel the same way.” And he did. The lads may be Jackie’s biologically, but it didn’t diminish the love he felt for them. Fuck, Jackie had been in jail when Thomas was born. He’d held Thomas before Jackie had even laid eyes on him. “But, we can’t do shit here. Let Happy’s girls take care of her when she gets to county.” He placed a kiss on Jackie’s temple. “Let’s get back to the lads. Gemma was callin’ in the lunch order, take Thomas, and go pick it up. Do ye a world of good to get out of here for a minute.”

Jackie looked at him, his blue eyes bloodshot from the tears. “I could say the same for you. Ya look like ya haven’t slept at all.” Jackie paused for a minute, then continued softly. “I think ya should sleep at home tonight, while we’re still sure she isn’t gonna wake up. They’ll call if anything changes. She wouldn’t want you like this.”

He sighed as Jackie got up, pulling him along. “Yeah. Probably should.” Then he stopped and looked at Jackie. “Where are ye gonna sleep? Thought Gemma was in yer room.”

Jackie attempted a weak grin. “Where else? Upstairs with you, and more than likely, Thomas.” Jackie shook his head. “I don’t give a fuck about any of the others at the moment Chibs, they can think whatever the fuck they want to.” Jackie ran a hand through his hair. “Right now I’m just gonna think about the five of us.” Then corrected himself. “The seven of us.”

He nodded. “Sounds good, Jackie. Let’s get back in there before someone comes looking for us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it. Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I love hearing from you guys!
> 
> Thanks to all who've left kudos and comments. They are much appreciated.


	67. Chapter Sixty-Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tig gets back to the clubhouse and tells the others what's gone down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

When he got back to the clubhouse, no one seemed to up and about other than Bobby, who was sitting at a table, drinkin’ a cup of coffee. Bobby looked up as he walked in. “You look like shit.”

He nodded. “Yeah, you would too if ya had the morning I’ve had already.” He walked past Bobby into the kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee. When he came out, he also grabbed a bottle of Jameson’s from the bar. When he sat back down he added a healthy shot to the coffee.

Bobby raised an eyebrow. “That bad, huh?”

He nodded. “And then some.” He looked at Bobby. “No one else is up?”

Bobby shook his head. “No, after yesterday, I think we all got totally hammered last night. They should be up and about soon. What’s goin’ on Tig?”

He sighed. “I’m only gonna give the details once, but I’ll tell ya this, Thomas had a total fuckin’ meltdown this morning at the house. So I convinced Roosevelt to let me talk to the fuckin’ prick who shot Ella. Got the fucker to tell me what he did to Thomas.” He took a swig of Jameson’s straight from the bottle, then looked at Bobby. “It’s bad, Bobby. Really bad.”

“You tell Jax and Chibs?” Bobby looked concerned and a little apprehensive.

He nodded. “Yeah.” Closing his eyes. “That was awful. Jax fuckin’ lost it, and Chibs was barely holdin’ on.” He opened his eyes to see Bobby looking shocked. “Yeah, and as I was leavin’, saw an ambulance pull up. It was Tara detoxing. So now she’s at the hospital right under their noses and they can’t do shit to her. Fuckin’ bitch deserves to be beaten to death.”

Bobby nodded. “How was La this morning?” He knew since he wasn’t gonna say shit until the others were up, Bobby was tryin’ to change the subject.

He shrugged. “The same I guess. Although Chibs did say the Doc let him listen to the babies’ heartbeats and they were strong. So, I guess that’s a little good news in all of the shit.”

Bobby nodded and then with a sly grin. “Wonder whose they are.”

He shook his head, he knew Bobby was trying for levity, but right now he just didn’t have it in him. “Does it really fuckin’ matter?”

Bobby shook his head. “Not really. Just tryin’ to lighten the mood, brother.”

He sighed. “Yeah, I know. Sorry, man, it’s just been a really shit morning and I was already hungover to begin with.”

Bobby nodded and the two of them waited in silence as the others got up. Once they were all up, he called them into the chapel so that the croweaters and hanger-ons who had started filling the main room wouldn’t hear what he had to tell them.

After Bobby, Happy, Juice, Waylon, Phil and Rat got into the chapel, he closed the door. Happy looked at him. “What’s so fuckin’ important that ya gotta talk to us before half of us can get a cup of coffee.”

He nailed Happy with a look. “Roosevelt let me talk to the prick who shot Ella.”

That shut Happy and the others right up. He went on telling them the story of the morning he had. When he finished, he found it rather appropriate that Juice puked. He felt much the same way after the prick had finished when he had him in the interrogation room.

Happy looked at him. “Any idea when Tara gets to county?”

He shook his head. “No idea, and we can’t lay a finger on her while she’s in the hospital. There would be no doubt who was responsible.”

Happy and the others nodded. He stood up and walked out of the chapel, grabbing the bottle of Jameson’s and went to his room. He needed to not think of anything at the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to those who have left kudos and comments. They are much appreciated.


	68. Chapter Sixty-Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Later that night at the house, nobody can sleep. (Except Abel)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

He laid awake upstairs, listening to steady, even sounds of Chibs, Abel and Thomas sleeping. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t manage to fall asleep. And as much as he wanted to get up, he was worried he would wake the others.

They had only managed to coax Chibs back to the house because Sam had said he would stay the night at the hospital. And it had still taken nearly a half a bottle of Walker Blue before the man had been anywhere close to being talked into bed. 

He looked over at the boys. Pup was at Abel’s feet. Thomas was sleeping between Abel and Chibs, so far it had been a quiet night for his youngest son. No nightmares. He smiled as Winston jumped up on the bed, giving Pup a silent hiss. Winston walked up the bed to lay back by Thomas like he had the night before.

He couldn’t stay in bed any longer. Sliding out of bed, he put on a pair of sweats that he’d grabbed from his room earlier. He made his way downstairs to the kitchen, grabbed a beer out of the fridge and headed to the patio.

He was surprised to find Ella’s Mom sitting out there, smoking a cigarette. She looked up at him. “Couldn’t sleep?”

He shook his head. He wasn’t sure how to deal with the woman. One moment she seemed to be the snob Pat had described, and then in the next moment seemed like she wanted to be a part of the family her daughter had pulled together. Plus, both boys seemed to like her a great deal. “No, and I didn’t want to wake the others. Be nice if Thomas slept through the night.”

She nodded. “He’s been through a lot.”

He looked at her with a small frown. None of them had told her what they had found out, but she spoke like she knew. “He has.” Then he sighed. “And I have no idea what to do.”

The woman gave a small shrug. “All you can do at the moment is to continue doing what all of you have been doing. He’ll need professional help, but that will come in time after he has really settled in.”

He looked at her with mild surprise. She rolled her eyes a bit. It reminded him of Ella. “Ella didn’t get all of her smarts from her father. I’ve spent the last thirty years working with domestic violence victims, which unfortunately means I’ve seen my share of abused children.”

He felt slightly embarrassed, he knew she did something with finances for a non-profit, but he had no idea it was for a domestic violence program. “Sorry. I didn’t know.” He took a drink of his beer before lighting a cigarette.

Her smile was a bit sad. “Not surprising. I’m amazed she speaks of me at all.” She turned her head, and a moment later he heard movement in the kitchen. A second later he could hear Chibs voice come out of the kitchen.

“I’m sure yer Da is out on the patio lad. Why don’t we get ye yer drink while he finishes his smoke.” They could hear a small voice speaking low.

“And then we’ll call yer Papa Sam and check in on Mama.” He could hear the smile in Chibs’s voice. “Here ye go lad, I’ll go check on yer Da.”

The Scot stepped out on the patio wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms, a look of mild surprise on his face seeing Ella’s Mom out there with him.

He looked at Chibs. “Another nightmare?”

Chibs shrugged as he lit a cigarette. “A little one, dreamt about Mama, woke up worried. Told the lad we’d check in with his Papa Sam, make sure Mama is still sleepin’.” He nodded his head towards the kitchen. “And he wanted a glass of milk.”

He closed his eyes for a second. He had hoped Thomas would sleep through the night. He looked at Chibs, who still looked like hell. “Abel still sleeping?”

That made the Scot laugh. “Oh yeah, ye know how the lad is, he didn’t even move when Thomas and I got up.” Chibs looked at him. “Lad goin’ to school this morning?”

He nodded. “Yeah, Mom and I think he should give it a shot.” He shrugged. “Gotta be better than hangin’ out in a hospital room all day. I’m gonna take him and talk to his teacher, let her know what’s happened, that way if she thinks he needs to be home, she can call.”

Chibs nodded, putting out his smoke. “Sounds good Jackie. I’m going to go back in, let Thomas talk to his Grandpa.” 

He nodded, getting up. “Yeah, hopefully that will make him feel better.”

He followed Chibs into the kitchen where Thomas was sitting in the breakfast nook with a now empty glass in front of him. He sat next to his son. “Another bad dream buddy?”

Thomas nodded. Other than a few flashes, his son was back to not talking much. He patted Thomas on the back. The boy did climb up onto his lap when Judith came in.

Thomas peered at the woman. “Did you have a bad dream too?”

Judith shook her head. “No honey, I’m just old and used to my own bed. I find it hard to sleep anywhere else. But I think I might be tired enough now, so I’m going to go to bed while you call your Grandpa Sam to check on your Mama.” She gave Thomas a kiss on his head as she passed them on her way upstairs.

Chibs was on the phone with Sam when he came back into the kitchen, sitting down by him and Thomas at the breakfast table. The dark haired man handed Thomas the cel. “Here ye go, lad. Grandpa Sam would like to talk to ye for a minute.”

He chuckled a little as Thomas slid down from the table as he took the phone, walking a short distance away. He knew his boy was only doing what he had seen all of them do while on the phone.

Thomas didn’t say much during the call, and after a few minutes handed the phone back to his Uncle Chibs, and crawled back up onto his lap. He looked at Thomas. “Feel better now buddy?”

Thomas nodded. “Mama is still sleeping.”

He hugged his son. “I know buddy. She’ll probably still be sleeping for another day or so.” Thomas nodded. “You ready to go back to bed? Try to get some sleep before we have to get your brother up for school?”

Thomas nodded into his chest. He smiled a little. “Okay buddy, let’s get ya back into bed.” He looked over at Chibs. “You comin’?”

The other man nodded. “Yeah, in a minute. Gonna step outside for another smoke.” Chibs looked at Thomas. “Go on up with yer Da, lad. I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

Thomas nodded again. While Thomas didn’t really shy away from any of them, he had made it clear that Chibs was his preferred person while Mama was sleeping. He took Thomas up to Chibs and Ella’s bedroom, sending him to the bathroom before the boy got back into bed.

After getting Thomas settled on Abel’s other side, he laid back down next to Abel. A few minutes later Chibs came in and got back into bed. After laying there a while, he finally fell into an uneasy sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! I love hearing your opinions, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked that kudo button or taken the time to comment! They mean a lot.


	69. Chapter Sixty-Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning at the Telford/Kinloch/Teller household.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> I'm not a lawyer, I just make 'em do what I want them to here.

After getting through the chaos of the next morning, Chibs watched Jackie leave with Abel, taking the lad to school. Abel had wanted to go, so Jackie and Gem had felt it would be best for the lad, and he agreed. No reason for the boy to spend another day watchin’ over a Mama that wasn’t gonna wake up.

He looked into the family room where Thomas was sitting with Ella’s Mom, reading a book. He still wasn’t thrilled that the woman was here, but Thomas seemed to like her. He thought it was because the woman looked and sounded just enough like Mama to placate the lad.

Gemma sat down at the dining room table with him. “Waitin’ for Jax to get back?”

He took a drag of his cigarette. “Yeah, gonna have him drop me at my bike.” He chuckled a little. “Twink called this morning about getting me and Jackie’s bikes from the shop.” Running a hand over his face. “Once we get Thomas settled up at the hospital, I’ll run Jackie over so he can move his bike to the clubhouse, and Sam back here so he can get some sleep.”

Gem nodded at him. “Okay. I have to go in for a little bit, get some paperwork done, and make sure shit there still gets done.” She looked as tired as he was sure all of them were feeling.

He reached over and patted her hand. “Ye okay, Gem?”  
She shook her head ruefully. “Not really, but at this point I don’t think any of us are.” Then rolled her eyes towards the family room. “Except maybe her.”

He chuckled a little again. Gemma had trouble relating to a woman who as far as Gemma was concerned abandoned two of her four children, and in Gemma’s world, that was unacceptable. “Oh, I don’t know. She was up at three in the morning and I don’t think it was just being in a new place.” He sighed. “Fuck Gem, I think she’s as worried as the rest of us. Just doesn’t know how to show it.”

Gemma nodded. “Okay, I’ll buy that for now.” Then she looked back into the family room again. “Plus Thomas seems to like her, so that earns her bonus points.”

He gave her a kiss on the cheek as he got up to get another cup of coffee. “That’s the spirit, Gem.”

She chuckled as she shoved her coffee cup into his other hand. “Yeah.” She gave him a wry smile. “That’s me, full of spirit.”

After getting refills on their coffee, he walked back to the dining room. Sitting the cups back down, he looked at Gemma as he took a chair. “Ye callin’ the pediatrician this morning?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Figured I’d do it from the shop where I can actually have a conversation without worrying about little ears, or Judith.”

He nodded. While he was willing to concede that the woman clearly cared about her daughter, he still had Ella’s genuine distrust in the back of his mind. “Probably for the best.”

Gemma shrugged and then started a little when the doorbell rang, as did he. No one who knew them rang the doorbell, it set the Pup off. Thomas followed the barking dog into the living room, trying the tricks he had seen his big brother use on the Pup. 

He chuckled as Thomas looked up at him. “Pup won’t listen to me.” Trying to be heard over the yapping.

He shooed the dog from the room and looked down at Thomas. “That’s okay lad. He doesn’t really listen to me either.”

He looked out the window and saw Ella’s attorney, Jonathan standing there. He opened the door. “Jonathan, you’re here early.”

The lawyer nodded as he entered. Looking around, Jonathan nodded to Gemma, and then the lawyer’s blue eyes settled on Thomas. “You must be Thomas. Your Mama told me about you.”

Thomas looked up at the lawyer while hiding behind his legs. “You know Mama?”

Jonathan crouched down so he would be on Thomas’s level. “I do. I work for her on some things.”

He chuckled as Thomas thought about that. “What kind of things?”

The lawyer smiled, then laughed. “Well, I…” The lawyer laughed again. “Well, Thomas I’m not sure how to explain what I do for your Mama to you.”

Gemma had come over to stand next to him. She looked down at Thomas. “Honey, Jonathan helps your Mama when she wants things done. Like how she wants you to stay here with all of us, Jonathan helps her so that happens.”

Thomas still looked confused. “But Mama is sleeping.”

Jonathan looked over with genuine shock when Judith answered. “I bet Mama told Jonathan what she wanted before she had to sleep, so he would be done doing what she wanted him to do by the time she wakes up.”

He watched with worried eyes as Thomas thought about what Ella’s Mum had said. He had to admit, it was as good an answer to give to a four-year-old as any. Then the lad looked up at the attorney. “Is that true?”

Jonathan nodded. “It is. And I’m here this morning because I need your Dad to sign a couple of things for me, so I can do what your Mama wants me to do.”

Thomas nodded. “Okay.” And then ran off, following the route that the dog took.

Judith looked at the three of them. “I’ll go keep an eye on Thomas.” She turned, following the lad.

He looked over at Jonathan. “Is that the only reason yer here? Papers for Jackie to sign?”

The attorney nodded. “That and to stop in to check on Eleanor. And the situation in general.”

Gemma was getting ready to say something when they all heard Jackie pull in the driveway with Ella’s Rover. When Jackie walked in he looked over at the lawyer. “Is there a problem?”

The attorney shook his head. “No, just have the papers you need to sign. When Ella wakes up and signs them, the judge is ready to sign off on the adoption.”

He looked over at the lawyer expressing the shock they all felt. “So fast? It took six months with Abel, even with Jackie and Wendy signing off on it.”  
Jonathan smiled. “That’s why I went back to the same judge. He knows Eleanor, and I explained the situation to him. He understands the need for this to be a speedy process.” Then the lawyer looked at the three of them. “Twink called me yesterday afternoon. He told me what was found out. Am I to understand that Judith is not to be told this?”

He nodded. “Aye. She isn’t to be told anything until Ella wakes up. Her Mum, her decision. Same thing for the Kinloch’s.” Even though Ella paid his bills, the attorney had a habit of talking to her former father-in-law.

Jonathan nodded. “I understand.” The lawyer looked at Jackie, reaching into his briefcase. “Here are the papers for you to sign. I’ll bring them back after she wakes up and is able to sign them.”

Jackie signed the papers where the lawyer pointed. Jackie looked at the attorney. “So until Ella signs these, I’m Thomas’s only legal guardian?”

Jonathan nodded. “Yes, although the last thing you signed was the same thing that Ella had drawn up the last time stating that Filip and Gemma are also legal guardians. That I’ll file right away and then file an amended one with Ella’s signature after the adoption.” He presented the paper to he and Gem to sign.

He watched Jackie’s shoulders relax some. “Okay, good.” Jackie looked at the attorney. “Thanks for doing all of this so fast.”

The lawyer looked at Jackie. “I would say it’s my pleasure, but I just really want that boy to be where he belongs.” Then chuckled. “And would like to avoid the profanity laced phone calls from Eleanor when things are not progressing as quickly as she would like.”

That made him laugh, he remembered a couple of the phone calls she had made to the man while the adoption process with Abel was happening. To simply call them profanity laced was a kindness. He seemed to remember their girl making various threats unless the man did his job and sped shit up.

Jonathan looked over at him with a knowing smile on his face. “Yes.” Then the man looked at the three of them again. “I’m going to head to the hospital. Even though I will not tell Robert about what happened to Thomas, I will be giving the man updates on Eleanor.”

Jackie looked at him briefly. He looked back at the lawyer. “That’s fine, but anything else will have to be Ella’s decision.”

The lawyer nodded as he headed to the door. “Fair enough. I’ll check in after I get back to my office after stopping at the county courthouse to file the one paper.”

When the lawyer left, he looked over at Jackie and Gemma. “Should we get everyone moving towards getting ready to leave?” He was anxious to get back to Ella.

Jackie nodded. “Yeah, let me get together things to keep Thomas occupied.”

Gemma took Jackie’s arm. “Judith and I took care of that earlier. I’m gonna go to the shop for a bit, make a couple of calls, get Chucky on task, shit like that. Then I’ll be over so you and Chibs can take care of getting your bike to the clubhouse.” She hugged them both before going to say good-bye to Thomas.

Jackie nodded. “Yeah, sounds good.” Jackie looked back over at him. “We’re droppin’ you at your bike right?”

He nodded. “Yeah.” He walked over, pushing Jackie towards the family room where they could hear cartoons. “Let’s go get the others and get going.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I adore hearing from you guys!!
> 
> Thanks to those of you who have clicked that kudo button or taken the time to comment. I really appreciate it!
> 
> Little poll: should I get you guys to Ella waking up today?


	70. Chapter Sixty-Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tara wakes up in the hospital, and she has a visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

She came to, feeling the IV in her arm. She also noted that one hand was handcuffed to the bed railing. She took a look around and then her eyes fell on Chibs sitting in a chair by the door, watching her.

Her throat was dry. She sat up a little, reaching for the glass of water that had been placed there. While she didn’t feel much better, she certainly didn’t feel as bad as she did when she was brought in.

Her eyes fell on Chibs again. “What time?”

His dark eyes were cold. “Two o’clock, Monday afternoon.”

She laid back down, those dark eyes even colder. “What do you want?” She was tired and wanted to be left alone.

He continued to look at her. “Been tryin’ to figure out how ye let that bastard do what he did to Thomas. No wonder the lad would barely look at ye, doesn’t want a thing to do with ye.”

She felt a cold tingle go up her spine. “What do you mean?” She hoped he was bluffing, trying to get information out of her.

The rage in his eyes was not a good sign. “Tig talked to yer boyfriend. He was more than happy to tell Tig what he had done to the lad.” She watched as the man stilled himself. “Ye really fucked up this time. But, now ye won’t be able to mess the lad’s life up any longer. Soon as my girl wakes up, Thomas will be hers.” A smile flashed across his scarred face. “And you will simply be a bad memory.”

She felt sick. She had hoped that they would never find out what had happened, as unrealistic as that thought was. Chibs was still studying her, the anger in his eyes the only giveaway to what he was thinking. The rest of his body was stilled as if he was simply waiting. She narrowed her eyes. “You know he’s fucking ‘your girl’, right?” She knew she was just saying it to get a rise out of him, make him look at his own life, not hers. She was unprepared for his answer.

The anger that had been in his eyes, faded immediately. “Aye.” Another smile flashed across his face. “And it’s a sight to see.” He stood, still looking at her. 

She didn’t know what to say. She had hoped she was shattering the idea that his old lady was his alone. Then a thought occurred to her, although she found it rather hard to believe. “He’s fucking you too.”

The Scot, still smiling, shook his head. “Ye’ve got that backwards.” Then turned and walked out.

She thought about what he had just said, she had it backwards. She felt her eyes widen, getting it. She laid there, barely believing what Chibs had just said. Then she started to think about all of her interactions with the three of them in the same room, and what he said started to make sense, even if she had trouble completely believing it.

A doctor came in and started talking to her. She was grateful that he was new here and she didn’t know him. She barely followed along as he was speaking, she knew that she was detoxing from the Oxy and would probably be kept another day or two. She nodded as the doctor finished speaking.

After the doctor left, Roosevelt came in. “You’re awake. As soon as the doctor signs off, which will probably be tomorrow, you’ll either be taken directly to county or back to the station for the night then county the next day.” Roosevelt turned to leave, and then turned back. “Just got word from the Feds, you and your boyfriend are also facing federal charges if the initial sweep of his computer is an indicator. When he was informed of that, he started talking, trying to make himself a deal.” The smile on Roosevelt’s face wasn’t a pleasant one. “He’s being transported to county as we speak.” Then he left the room, leaving her alone again.

She absorbed the information. She wouldn’t be surprised if sometime in the next day or so, Roosevelt would be telling her of Brent’s untimely death at the hands of some random prisoner at county. It was one of the few comforts of coming back she had, knowing that the club would end Brent the first chance they got. She only hoped that her past with Jax would save her own skin, but after Chibs little visit, she had the feeling it wasn’t going to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! Love hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to those who have clicked that kudo button or taken the time to comment. You guys rock!
> 
> Just a warning, this will be the first of a number of chapters being posted in a row. Get your reading glasses ready!


	71. Chapter Seventy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judith meets Tig.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Judith sat alone with her daughter in the hospital room. Gemma had gone with Jackson to take Thomas to the pediatrician since none of them had any idea the last time the boy saw a doctor, then they were going to go pick up Abel from school. Filip was somewhere in the hospital and Sam had gone back to their daughter’s house to get some sleep. 

She looked up as a tall man with dark curls and vivid blue eyes came in. He looked at her in surprise. “Where’s Chibs?” The man looked over at her daughter like he wasn’t sure that she should be alone with her.

She could understand to a degree the way everyone was treating her. She hadn’t been around at all, and she was sure her daughter had few good things to say about her, and she had earned that. But she was getting tired of being treated as irrelevant. “He went to stretch his legs.”

The man nodded and took one of the other chairs. “Think I’ll wait for him.” He looked over at her. “Tig.”

She looked at him, confused. “Excuse me?”

He smiled. “I’m Tig.”

She nodded. “Okay. I’m Judith, Ella’s Mom.”

He looked over at Ella. “I know. She’s talked some about ya.”

She looked at the wild looking man in astonishment. “Really? That surprises me.”

The man, Tig, she corrected herself, laughed. It was a little manic. “Sometimes when both Jax and Chibs have to be gone on a run, they ask me to stay at the house with Ella and Abel, keep an eye on ‘em. We’ve had more than one late night conversation out on a patio by a pool.”

She nodded, not necessarily thrilled. “So you know the whole dramatic saga.”

He shrugged. “Wouldn’t call it that. Neither does La. Usually she’ll just say that her and Pat got stuck with parents who liked the idea but were pretty shit with the execution of actual parenthood. That both you and Sam are good, likeable people, just crap parents.” The man looked at her again. “And she’s the first to admit she was probably not the easiest kid to live with.”

Still looking at the man with astonishment, Filip came back into the room. He looked at the two of them sitting there. “What do ye need Tiggy?”

The bigger man shrugged at Filip. “Stopped to check in on La. See if ya guys needed anything.”

Filip looked at Tig. “Jackie and Gem have the littlest Teller at the Doc, and then they’re gonna pick Abel up from school.” Filip gave a heavy sigh. “After that, I think they’re gonna stop in here for a minute, then get the lads home and fed. Jackie wants Abel back into his routine, says that’s what Ella would want.”

She looked at Tig, who was studying Filip. Tig nodded. “It probably is. Ya gonna stay here tonight?”

Filip nodded. “Yeah. They started dialing back the sedative at about noon. They think she’ll start wakin’ up in fits and starts sometime tonight. I’m gonna run back to the house after Jackie and Gemma get here with the lads.” Filip chuckled. “Don’t think I’ll let the lads pack another care package for me.” 

That had made Tig laugh again. “I don’t know brother, I think animal crackers are exactly what ya want with a bottle of whiskey.”

She noticed Filip chuckle a little at that. Before he could reply, a nurse came in and looked at the three of them. “I have to change the bandages.” The nurse looked at her and Tig. “I’ll need you to wait outside.” The nurse looked at Filip. “Are you going to help again?” 

Filip nodded. “Aye.” 

Tig ushered her out of the room and then leaned on a wall to wait. As they were waiting, Gemma, Jackson, and the boys arrived. Jackson looked over at Tig.

Tig shrugged. “Changing her bandages. Chibs is helping. Helen is her nurse this afternoon I guess.”

Jackson nodded, then looked down at the two boys. “Well guys, Uncle Chibs is helpin’ to change Mama’s bandages. Should we go grab you two a juice?”

She stepped up. “I can take them down to get their juice.” Both Jax and Gemma nodded.

She took each boy by the hand and started walking them down to what Abel was calling the ‘snack room’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to all who hit that kudo button or who have taken the time to comment. I truly appreciate it.


	72. Chapter Seventy-One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jax lets Chibs know what happened at the doctor and Chibs lets Jax know about his little conversation with Tara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

He watched as Ella’s Mom took the boys down to the snack room. He turned back to his Mom and Tig, who was watching the older woman walk away.

Tig turned back to him. “Got a call from Gaalan. Needs a run up north. Know that you and Chibs ain’t leavin’. Who do ya want to send other than Waylon and Happy?” Tig ran a hand through his hair. “Juice says he can go, if ya need him to.”

He shrugged. “Sure, sounds good.” He really didn’t give a fuck. He looked back towards the door to Ella’s room.

Tig looked at him and Gemma. “What did the Doc say about the little guy?”

He closed his eyes. “He’s malnourished. But we already fuckin’ knew that. The Doctor couldn’t find any physical evidence of the sexual abuse.” He cringed as he said the words. “But we already knew that too. They gave us some vitamins to give him.” He sighed. He didn't want to mention the other script the doctor had given him for Thomas.

Chibs head came out of the room. “Ye can come back in now.”

They went in, saying hello to Helen. Years ago, she had been a croweater while going through nursing school. While she didn’t come around the clubhouse much anymore, she was still club. Gemma pulled the woman aside, getting the lowdown on Ella’s condition.

He filled Chibs in on what Tig had told him in the hallway. Then filled him in on what the pediatrician said. When he told Chibs he would have to talk to Tara to find out the last time Thomas saw a doctor and shit like that, Chibs pulled him into the bathroom and told him about his little visit with Tara.

He stood there, gaping at the Scot for a minute and then started to laugh. “Fuck, I don’t care what she thinks. Not like she can do anything.” His laughter stopped as abruptly as it had started. “And it’s not like she’s gonna be around much longer anyway. After we get the answers about Thomas and she goes to county, far as I’m concerned, Happy’s girls can have their fun.” He looked at Chibs, seeing the agreement in those dark eyes. “This time next week, I’d like them both to be nothing more than a bad memory.”

Chibs clapped him on the back gently. “Aye.” Then looked at him. “Ye should go talk to Tara now. Overheard her Doc saying she’ll probably be released tomorrow sometime. I’ll keep an eye on the lads while ye do.”

He nodded. “Yeah, probably should.” They walked out of the bathroom to his Mom and Tig sitting in chairs. Judith and the boys were still down at the snack room. His Mom looked up at him. “You gonna go talk to the fuckin’ cunt?” It was the only way his Mom had referred to Tara since her return.

He cringed. “Yeah as much as I don’t want to, I should.” He looked at the three of them. “Suppose I should do it now, while Judith still has the boys down at their snack paradise.”

His Mom looked at him. “I can do it if you want.”

He patted her shoulder. “No, I’ll do it.” He grinned at her. “I’m not sure you’d be able to restrain yourself from killin’ her.” Tig and Chibs laughed as his Mom nodded. He looked at the three of them again and then left to go talk to his ex-wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it. Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I love hearing from you!
> 
> Thanks to all who have left kudos and taken the time to comment!


	73. Chapter Seventy-Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax talks to Tara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine I tell ya.

She was still laying handcuffed to the hospital bed when Jax came into the room. Like Chibs, he stayed near the door, like he didn’t trust himself to come any closer to her. She looked at him, still hearing Chibs’ words ringing in her ears. She still didn’t completely believe what the Scot had said.

He stood there watching her, the disgust and hatred evident in his eyes. “I need to know the last time Thomas saw a doctor and his last set of shots.” His voice was flat.

She laid there staring at him, she wondered if Chibs had told him about paying her a visit earlier today.

He sighed, running a hand over his beard. “I know you can talk. Chibs said he was in here earlier. So answer my question.”

She shrugged. “Before he left here.”

He clenched his jaw, nodding. “Since before he left here, which would have been when Ella took him in for bronchitis about a month before you got out of jail.” She could see his jaw clenched even tighter. She wondered how he was even able to speak.

He took a deep breath. “So even though you knew that fuckin’ prick was doing whatever the hell he wanted to our son, it never fuckin’ occurred to you to take him to a doctor? You let that fuckin’ prick do things to our son that wouldn’t even cross Tig’s mind, and you don’t get him checked out? Once again, you make sure you get what you want or need, and everyone else can go take a flying fuck, is that right?” 

Even though he wasn’t necessarily wrong, she was tired of it all. She looked at him again. “And you’re perfect? Like what’s goin’ on in that house is an example for Abel and Thomas.”

He chuckled. “All Abel and Thomas know is that I live in a room on the main floor next to my sons. Far as they’re concerned, Ella is with Chibs.” He arched an eyebrow at her. “Whatever happens between consenting adults in that house, happens when the boys aren’t there.” Then he chuckled again. “Actually whatever happens between consenting adults in that house is exactly that, between consenting adults.” His chuckle stopped. “Unlike what happened in North Carolina.”

She stared at him. “You don’t care that I know what’s going on?”

He stared back at her, his blue eyes as cold as she had ever seen them. “Not particularly.”

Still staring. “Even though I could tell the club? Certainly would make things awkward for the President and Vice-President of SAMCRO.” She knew by the look in his eyes her days were numbered. She wasn’t above blackmailing him to spare her life.

He shrugged. “They’re not stupid, they know. As long as shit runs the way it should, they don’t give a fuck.”

She closed her eyes. She had run out of moves, well, other than just needling him. “So they know that Chibs is fucking you?”

For a brief moment his eyes softened, and then turned cold again. “Like I said, what happens in our house is our business, no one else’s.” He turned to leave. “Enjoy your time here. I have the feeling your life is about to become extremely unpleasant. Ya know, with those federal charges pending also.” He walked out.

She laid back, barely believing that he hadn’t cared. The MC was a bastion of machismo. She couldn’t believe none of them would be okay with what was going on, even if shit was running the way it should. In the end, she guessed it really didn’t matter. With the way he had dismissed her accusations, she knew she was already dead, it was just a matter of when. She knew that the club would have it done indirectly, and after her last stint in jail, she knew that she was already going in with a target on her back considering the charges she was facing. She turned her head towards the window, trying to enjoy what little sunlight she had left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I love hearing from you!
> 
> Thanks to all who have left kudos and taken the time to comment! I really appreciate it.


	74. Chapter Seventy-Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax heads back to the hospital later that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

After leaving Tara’s room and spending some time in Ella’s room with the boys while Chibs ran home to get some things together for the night, he and his Mom had gotten the boys together to go home and get them fed and to bed.

There had been a slight bump in the road when Thomas figured out that Chibs was spending the night away from the house again. It had taken him, his Mom, Sam, Abel and Judith a few minutes to calm Thomas down. He finally explained to Thomas that Mama may start to wake up tonight and Uncle Chibs needed to be there if she did, otherwise Mama would be upset and that might hurt her. Thomas accepted that explanation.

After getting the boys bathed and to bed, he walked out to the patio where his Mom was sitting with both of Ella’s parents. Sam was drinking a beer while it looked like his Mom had joined Judith in the Bloody Mary’s Judith had mixed up. His Mom looked up at him. “You gonna try to get up to the hospital while you’re sure Thomas is sleeping?”

He nodded. “He should sleep through the night, one of the prescriptions the doctor gave me for him is a mild sleep aid. I’m not thrilled with it, but the doctor felt it was for the best. Since he’s been back, he slept through the night once.”

All three of them nodded, Judith speaking for the three. “He could use a couple of dreamless nights.”

His Mom nodded, tilting her glass at Judith. “She’s right honey. Don’t feel bad, you’re doing what’s best for Thomas, not what’s easiest for you.” She gave him a slight smile. “Go on, we’ll call if you’re needed here.”

He nodded, and headed out to the Rover. Instead of going straight to the hospital, he drove to the garage. When he got there he could see Tig and Bobby out at the picnic tables. He walked over.

Bobby looked at him. “Everything okay?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m gonna go over to the hospital, just wanted to actually ride my bike instead of drive that cage.” He chuckled. “She may have good taste in cars, but they’re still cars.”

The other two laughed, they understood. He told them to check in with the others and let him know and told them goodnight as he headed to his bike and the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it. Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. 
> 
> Thanks to those who have left kudos and taken the time to comment. They are appreciated.


	75. Chapter Seventy-Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ella starts to wake up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine. Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I love hearing from you guys!
> 
> Thanks to all who have left kudos and taken the time to comment. They are much appreciated.

He looked up at the clock in the hospital room. Ten o’clock. He had finally talked Twink into going home and getting some sleep about thirty minutes earlier. He sat back in the recliner, reaching into the bag he had put together, he pulled out a book and a bottle of Glenfiddich. 

As he was breaking the seal on the bottle, he heard Jackie’s voice. “That’s where that went.” He looked up at Jackie’s smug smirk.

He nodded. “Aye.” He looked at Jackie appraisingly. “You look, well, not as stressed.”

Jackie smiled a little. “Dropped the Rover at the garage. Rode my bike over.” Then Jackie gave a sad chuckle as he sat down in a chair close to Ella’s bed. “And the doctor gave Thomas a mild sleep aid. The doctor said he would be shocked if Thomas woke up during the night at all.”

He frowned a little. He wasn’t sure how he felt about drugging up a four-year-old. Jackie must have known how he felt, because Jackie sighed. “I don’t like it either, but the doctor only prescribed five of them. He said to give him one tonight and tomorrow night, then only if he really needs ‘em after that.” Jackie’s blue eyes were still filled with guilt. 

He reached over and patted Jackie’s arm. “Ye don’t have to explain to me. If anyone deserves to have a couple of nights without nightmares, it’s Thomas. His last year and a half has been one long nightmare, his little body and mind need the rest.”

Jackie rested his head on the edge of the hospital bed. He was pretty certain that Jackie really hadn’t slept the night before, with what Tiggy had told them and all of the worry already. He ran a hand down Jackie’s back. “Think his Da does too.”

Jackie turned his head to look at him, a small smile on his face. “I think his Da needs something else entirely.” The smile disappeared. “Unfortunately this isn’t the place, or time.” Jackie looked at Ella. “She wake at all yet?”

He shook his head as he continued to rub Jackie’s back. “Not yet. They said it would probably be around midnight.” He leaned in. “You gonna stay and wait?” 

He chuckled as Jackie just nodded into the bed. And they wondered where Thomas got it from. He sighed and pulled Jackie over to the recliner, making room for the both of them. Jackie raised an eyebrow. “Won’t someone come in?”

He shook his head. “Not until after midnight. Until then, they’ll only come in if the alarms on the machines go off.” He looked over at them. “And they look stable to me.”

Jackie leaned back. “Okay.” 

They sat there in the quiet. He had missed having Ella and Jackie in bed, without a little one. After about fifteen minutes he could feel that Jackie’s breathing had evened out into the steady rhythm of sleep. 

He looked over at Ella’s sleeping form. He really wanted her to wake up while Jackie was still here, it would do the lad some good. He knew that in their girl’s mind, he was the center that held the three of them together, but he wasn’t, she was.

He continued to sit quietly while Jackie slept. The weight of Jackie’s body was a comfort. Looking up he noticed the clock on the wall read eleven-thirty. He was getting ready to nudge Jackie awake when he heard a small groan. The nudge became a bigger shove.

Jackie raised his head. “What?” He shushed him.

There was another small groan. Both of them nearly fell on the floor trying to get out of the chair. They both got to the side of the hospital bed as their girl gave another small noise. He leaned down. “That’s it luv, time to wake up.”

When he was alone with her, he had talked to her, hoping she would respond, but she hadn’t. This time though, her head started to turn towards the sound of his voice. “That’s right luv, I’m right here. So is Jackie. C’mon, ye gotta open those eyes.” He hadn’t realized he was gripping Jackie’s hand until he felt the reciprocating squeeze.

They both held their breath as her eyes opened to slits. He grinned at Jackie for a second, then turned back to Ella. “There ye go luv, want to see those gray eyes.”

Her eyes opened a bit more, but he could see they were still clouded with the sedatives. He could see her trying to focus. Finally, they settled on him. He smiled in relief. “Hi there.”

He could see the trace of a smile on her face. She went to try to speak. He stopped her. “Don’t even try luv.” He looked at Jackie. “Go get a cup of ice. She’s not gonna be able to talk until she gets some ice down.”

Jackie nodded and hurried out. After Jackie left he turned back to Ella, whose eyes had followed Jackie out the door. Those gray eyes tacked back to him, still pretty drugged up. He took her hand. “Ye hurtin’ luv?”

She nodded. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “A lot? A little?” He hoped it was the latter, he really did not want her sedated again. She shrugged, which really didn't tell him a damn thing.

Jackie came bustling back in with a cup of ice and a nurse hot on his heels. While he was trying to give Ella ice the nurse was trying to ask their girl questions. Ella’s eyes found his and he could see she was starting to panic a little. Nodding, he looked at the nurse. “D’ye mind giving us a few minutes?”

The nurse looked over at him. “I need to assess the patient.” Her tone matter of fact.

He took a breath. “And it can wait a few minutes.” He looked back over at Jackie, who nodded while moving towards the nurse. 

Jackie took the nurse by the elbow and started to turn her towards the door. “Just need a couple of minutes darlin’, then ya can come back and finish doin’ what ya need to.” Before the woman could argue Jackie had her out the door, locking her out.

He turned back to Ella, who had another trace of a smile on her face. He smiled while getting more ice down her. “Do ye remember what happened luv?”

He watched as she swallowed a couple of times. “Prick…” He voice was scratchy and rough from nonuse over the last few days. “Shot me.” Then he could see the panic creeping into her eyes. “Thomas?”

“Lad is safe. Twink got him into yer office, Thomas didn’t see a thing.” He let a brief sigh of relief go as she relaxed some. This was where it would be tricky, didn’t want to tell her too much, too soon. He didn’t want her stressed too much. “There’ll be plenty of time to tell ye everything luv. I’m gonna go get the nurse so she can do what she needs to do. Jackie can keep ye company until I get back with the nurse.” Their girl nodded.

Jackie moved to take his spot as he got up to go get the nurse. He wanted to make sure the woman didn’t mention a few things to their girl. There were things Ella would just take better if they told her.


	76. Chapter Seventy-Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax gets home and finds Judith up again. They have a very enlightening conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

He looked at the clock on the dash of the Rover as he pulled into the driveway to the house. Almost two. After Ella woke up, he had stayed for a little bit. Other than reassuring her that Thomas was safe, they hadn’t told her much. She had become visibly upset when Chibs told her what day it was. So they had an unspoken agreement to tell her as little as possible until she was a little stronger.

He let himself in, walking back to the kitchen, grabbing a beer. When he walked out to the patio he wasn’t real surprised to see Judith out there. She had a cup of tea at her elbow as she read a book. She looked up at his arrival. “How is she?”

He took a seat while opening his beer, tossing the cap into the trash can out on the patio. “Awake.” He felt the smile of relief on his face.

Judith nodded. “Good. How is she?” He almost frowned. Shouldn’t the woman be a bit more excited by the prospect that her daughter was awake? Then he realized the woman was probably nervous to how her daughter would feel about her being here.

He smiled a little. “In pain, but doesn’t want more sedatives. She remembers she was shot. At first she was a little panicked about Thomas, but we assured her he was safe.” He chuckled a little. “Which shows you how drugged she really is, normally she’d have jumped all over the way we kept saying safe and not okay.”

Judith nodded with a small smile on her face. “Semantics was always a strength of hers.” Then she chuckled. “Which made arguing with her really frustrating.”

That made him laugh. “Yeah, it really does.” His laughter died down. “But there is a bunch of stuff we haven’t told her. She did not take it well when we told her it was technically Tuesday.”

Judith nodded. “What have you told her?”

He shrugged. “Thomas is safe. What day it is. That Sam is still here, and that you’re here.” He looked at her. “Chibs decided that the rest can wait.”

She peered at him. “Just Filip decided?”

He shrugged again. “Both of us decided.” She nodded, which really confused him. “Why?”

The woman smiled at him. “I’m not blind, stupid, or naive, Jackson.” Then she chuckled sadly. “I may not know all of you very well, my daughter included. But first of all, Abel is far more aware than you think, and like I said, I’m not blind.”

He could feel a bit of panic building in the pit of his stomach. “What do you mean about Abel?”

She reached over and patted his arm. “He knows his Mama loves both you and Filip and that you both love her. And that the three of you love him and his brother. He knows that the household he lives in isn’t like the other kids in his class, but he also knows he’s happy, loved and cared for. Unlike some of the kids in ‘normal’ households.”

He looked at her shocked. “Why hasn’t he said anything to us?”

Her smile became wider. “Because for Abel this is just how it is, there’s no reason to say anything to any of you.” Then she sighed. “I think when Tara left with Thomas, things got screwy for a little bit, and when they settled the way they did, he adjusted happily, because even though it’s not conventional, he feels safe and loved. That’s all that matters to kids.” She stood up. “Think I’m going to try to get some sleep. You should do the same. Thomas is still sleeping with Abel in the lower bunk.” Then chuckled. “With Pup and Winston.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Think I’ll smoke a cigarette and then head in.” He looked back up at her. “Thanks.” He hoped she understood.

“You’re welcome. Good night Jackson.” She went back into the house.

He lit a cigarette, thinking about what Judith just told him. They knew that Abel was aware that when Chibs went on runs, he slept upstairs with Mama. And when Tara first bolted with Thomas, there had been more than a few nights that ended with him and Abel crawling into bed with Ella and Chibs. Taking a drag of his smoke, he also thought about how the three of them acted when it was just the four of them in the house. While he and Chibs were circumspect around the boy, Ella really wasn’t. To her there was no difference between him and Chibs.

Shaking his head, he chuckled. For as slick as the three of them had thought they were being, all they had really managed was shutting everyone up about it. Which, he supposed in the end was all they really wanted. He put out his cigarette and headed up to Chibs and Ella’s room, hoping for some sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! I love hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to those who have clicked that kudo button or taken the time to comment. You guys are awesome!
> 
> There will NOT be the chapter dump I did yesterday, today. Sorry. Lol. I should work on other stories before I start my new job next week!


	77. Chapter Seventy-SIx

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ella wakes up again, later that night, or very early the next morning. However you choose to think of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Opening her eyes felt like it was still taking forever. When she finally got them open, she looked over seeing Filip asleep in the recliner. Even with the pain and the residue of whatever drug they had her on, she cringed a little at how uncomfortable the chair looked.

She knew there was a lot that the two of them weren’t telling her. The sheer number of looks that Filip and Jackson exchanged were enough proof for her. And if they weren’t telling her, it was probably bad, really bad.

She looked over as the door to her room opened. Tig stuck his head in the door, seeing Filip asleep. It looked like he was going to close the door and leave when he glanced over at her. If she could have, she would have laughed at the look on his face.

He walked over to her bed, trying to be quiet for Filip’s sake. “Hey doll. You’re awake.” He was keeping his voice low.

She nodded. Talking was still a little rough, her throat was constantly dry. She motioned to the cup of water. Tig helped her take a small drink. “Thanks.” She took his hand.

He gave it a squeeze as he smiled at her. “Glad to be able to do it, doll. Trying to let Chibs sleep?”

“Woke up when ye came in the door Tiggy.” She smiled a little at Filip’s voice on her other side. “It’s four in the morning Tig, why are ye here?”

Tig shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep. Thought I’d offer to stay with the doll here while ya went to smoke and shit like that.” She almost laughed. She knew Tig, he was worried and couching it in the practical.

She turned her head so she could see Filip. He was studying Tig. She knew that Filip had figured out the same thing she had. “Sounds good, Tiggy.” Then she saw Filip give Tig a look that basically said he was to tell her nothing. Damn. She had hoped to get information out of the SAA.

Tig nodded. “Yeah. Go grab your smoke. We’ll be here when ya get back.”

Filip stood and stretched. She got a good look at him. He looked exhausted and like there was a heavy weight on his shoulders. Tig looked much the same way. She really needed to know what had happened while she was out.

Filip gave her a light kiss. “Be right back, don’t hound Tig. He’s not gonna tell ye a thing.” She gave him a dirty look. “And ye can glare daggers at me all ye want, but yer gonna give yerself a little more time before we catch ye up.” He wasn’t kidding. She knew that tone of voice. He closed the door behind him as he left.

She looked up at Tig, who just chuckled. “Don’t even try, doll. It’ll be a bit before ya can kick my ass, on the other hand, Chibs can give it a go now.”

She tried to smile, but found she just didn’t have the energy. Tig patted her hand. “Don’t worry doll, it’s okay, save your strength.” He patted her hand again. “Try to get some almost real sleep.”

She tried to shake her head. That was a terrible idea, she wanted to vomit but was sure her head would explode if she did. She took a couple of slow breaths to steady herself. “Gotta know Tig.”

He closed his eyes in slight frustration for a second. “I know. But you know that Chibs wouldn’t keep shit from you for no good reason. You’ve just woken up from being sedated for two and a half days after being shot. Give yourself a minute.”

She sighed and tried to nod. If that was Tig’s reaction, no one would tell her a thing. She tried to stay awake until Filip came back in the room, but failed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. Please, feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I love hearing from you.
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked that kudo button or taken the time to comment! They are much appreciated.


	78. Chapter Seventy-Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas has a rough patch the next morning. Grandma Judith to the rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

A small hand patting his back woke him up. He rolled over to see Thomas sitting on the bed, Winston at his side. He looked over at the clock. Six in the morning. “Hey buddy, you okay?”

Thomas nodded. “But I’m hungry.” He smiled, one of the only good things in the last few days was that Thomas’s appetite hadn’t diminished at all.

He sat up and hugged his younger son. “Course you are buddy. Let’s go get ya something to eat.” Then the event of the previous evening came to mind. “Want to hear some good news bud?”

Thomas looked up at him with a slightly confused look on his face. “What good news?”

He hugged his son again before smiling at him. “Mama woke up a little last night.”

Thomas’s reaction wasn’t what he expected. Instead of the smile he had thought he would get, Thomas started to bawl. He pulled the boy onto his lap, trying to calm him. “It’s okay Thomas. Mama is gonna be just fine.” The sobbing didn’t slow at all.

He heard a knock on the door, and then Judith’s head poke in. “Everything all right?” She frowned at the sight of a sobbing Thomas. He motioned her in. Closing the door behind her, she walked over and sat by them on the bed. 

He started to rock Thomas a little. “What’s wrong buddy?”

Thomas tried to speak through his sobs. “Sh-Sh-She’s gonna h-hate me. S-send me back to Mo-Mommy.” The sobbing became worse. He felt the tears in his own eyes. Looking over, he could see Judith in much the same shape.

He held his son tighter. “No Thomas, Mama could never hate you. Never.” He moved Thomas away from him so he could see his son’s face. He almost wished he hadn’t. There was a look of absolute fear and anxiety that should never be on the face of a four-year-old. He couldn’t stop his own tears. “And Mama has already made sure that you will never, ever have to go back to your Mommy. Mama made sure that you’re going to stay with all of us.”

While the sobbing had started to slow, Thomas still looked unsure. He hugged his son again, now speaking softly in his ear. “When Mama woke up last night, you were the first person she asked about, she was worried she hadn’t kept you safe. Does that sound like someone who hates you?”

He smiled a little as Thomas shook his head. “That’s right.”

Judith put a hand on Thomas’s back, patting it gently. “You know what’s going to make your Mama feel better?”

Thomas looked at her through his tears and shook his head. He almost laughed as she pulled a Kleenex from the bedside table and handed it to Thomas, he was starting to see why Ella and Judith clashed, it would be like living with a mirror in front of you at all times. 

Judith gave Thomas a small smile. “Seeing your smiling face.” Then her smile got a little bigger as the pats on the back became tickles to the ribs. “Instead of a crying, snotty one.” She continued to tickle Thomas. He started to chuckle, he now knew where Ella got her penchant for tickle fights.

About ten seconds of Thomas squealing brought Sam hurrying into the room. He started to laugh as Ella’s Dad came to an abrupt stop at the scene in front of him. “I heard…I thought…” Then the man started to chuckle. “I guess things are just fine.”

Judith pulled a gasping Thomas from his lap. “Let’s go get you something to eat Thomas. Let your Dad tell Papa Sam the good news.” She put Thomas down and ushered him from the room.

Sam looked at him expectantly. “Good news?”

He smiled. “She woke up some last night.”

A huge smile of relief spread across Sam’s face. “And?”

His own smile faded a little. “She remembers she was shot. She knows what day it is and knows that Thomas is safe. We haven’t told her anything else.”

Sam’s smile diminished. “You two aren’t going to be able to get away with that long.” He went to defend their decision, but Sam raised a hand. “I understand what you two are doing and why you’re doing it. I’m telling you as reasonable as that seems, it won’t work with Ella. She’s probably already figured out there’s a ton of stuff you two aren’t telling her, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah, and no, she’s not happy about it. “He ran a hand over his face, really wanting a shower.

Sam shook his head ruefully. “Because she knows what you’re not telling her is bad.” Then Sam smiled broadly for a moment. “Well, not all of it.” The older man shook his head again. “And by not telling her, that allows her mind to try and construct what may have happened. Take a second and think about what scenarios her mind could come up with.”

He closed his eyes. He knew exactly what her mind was capable of. But he still agreed with Chibs, she didn’t need to be hit with all of it within an hour of regaining consciousness. “I get what you’re saying Sam, but we weren’t gonna hit her with all of it right after she woke up. It would have been too much.”

Sam smiled sadly. “I’m not questioning the decision you and Filip made. I’m just telling you eventually it will be counterproductive. It will create what you two are hoping to avoid. Stress.” Sam leaned back on the dresser. “Yes, what she has to be told will upset her, but once she knows and can start thinking about plans to deal with things, her stress will go down.” Sam smiled again. “But the two of you already know this about her.” Sam pushed himself off of the dresser. “Think I’m going to go down and see if my first ex-wife or your mother have started coffee.” Sam let himself out of the room.

He laid back for a minute thinking about what Sam said. The man was right, the longer they waited to tell Ella the more frantic she was gonna get. He knew that Chibs was aware of it also, but just wanted a little time for her to regain a little strength. And he also knew that regardless of what Sam said, Chibs wouldn’t tell her a fucking thing until he was sure she would be able to deal with it.

He got up and made his way to the shower. He wanted to get going early, give Abel the opportunity to see an awake Mama before heading to school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! I love hearing from you, so please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked the kudo button and have taken the time to comment! Mucho gracias!


	79. Chapter Seventy-Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax takes the boys to see an awake Mama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. Any and all mistakes are mine.

When they all arrived at the hospital, they found Tig sitting on a chair outside Ella’s room. Tig looked up at them all as they walked towards the room. “Chibs doesn’t want anyone other than Jax and the boys to go in.”

Jax looked at Tig. “What’s goin’ on?”

Tig stood and looked down at the boys. “Doc came in about an hour ago. Told Ella about…” Tig gave the boys another looks, then looked back up at them. “So that was a little shock.” Tig chuckled. “Chibs is lucky she’s not strong enough to throw anything at him.”

He nodded, wondering if she wanted to throw something because she didn’t want to be pregnant or if she was just upset that a doctor told her. He hoped for the latter. He looked down at the boys. “C’mon guys, let’s go see Mama before Abel has to get to school.”

He pushed the door open and ushered the boys in. They both ran over to the bed, and then looked back at him and Chibs, Abel speaking for them both. “She’s still sleeping.” Abel’s voice was accusatory.

“Just resting my eyes honey.” Her voice was still rough.

He grinned as both boys turned around, eyes wide. Abel grabbed her hand. “You’re awake!” Then his older son started to cry. 

She looked over at him and Chibs, making a small motion that she wanted Abel up on the bed with her. He went over and put Abel up with her. She wrapped her right arm around Abel. “Shh…honey, it’s okay. I’ll be just fine. The next couple of days I’ll sleep a lot on and off, but you and Thomas can always wake me up, okay?”

Abel nodded into her shoulder. “Wanna stay with you.”

Both he and Chibs chuckled softly at her answer. “What you wanna stay and watch me sleep? Sounds pretty boring to me.” She hugged him with her right arm. “Go to school, honey, I’ll be here when you get out.” She kissed their oldest son’s head.

Abel nodded as he slid off of the bed. He could see her looking for Thomas, who had hidden himself behind Chibs legs. She turned her head a little and looked at him, questioning. He shook his head at her, he didn’t want to unload another shock on her right now.

She closed her eyes, he had the feeling she was trying to calm herself down so she wouldn’t waste her energy screaming at them. She opened her eyes again, looking over at Thomas. “Thomas?”

He could see Thomas come out from behind Chibs’ legs almost reluctantly. When he reached the bed, he could see Thomas shaking and the tears starting. She motioned to him again, so he lifted Thomas to her.

The moment her arm wrapped around Thomas, the boy lost it. He could see Ella’s eyes go almost wild at Thomas sobbing how sorry he was, please don’t hate him, please don’t send him back to his Mommy, that he would be a good boy. 

He was grateful that Chibs had deemed this a moment for just the five of them. Abel looked confused and disturbed. Chibs pulled Abel aside, wrapping an arm around the boy as he started whispering in his ear. After a few moments, he saw Abel nod.

He looked back over to the hospital bed. Ella had her right arm wrapped tightly around Thomas, murmuring into his ear. The longer she murmured, the calmer Thomas became. He sighed with relief.

He looked up at the clock. They needed to be going if they were going to get Abel to school on time. But he didn’t really want to leave Thomas at the moment. Abel came over to him, looking at the clock. He smiled down at him. “I know buddy, time to go.”

Abel nodded and then looked back to where Thomas was still crying into Mama’s shoulder. His oldest son looked at him again. “Maybe Grandma can take me. Thomas is still really upset.”

He hugged Abel, even though the boy had no real idea what his brother had been through, Abel could still see that Thomas needed a little extra right now and did not begrudge him that. “Let’s go find out buddy.”

Chibs nodded at them as they went out of the room. The others were standing around the hallway. When they came out both Judith and Sam came over to them, his mother hanging back a little. 

He looked at Ella’s parents. “She’s gonna need a little time with Thomas.” He looked over at his Mom. “She wants Abel to go to school. Do you mind taking him?”

His Mom looked at Abel. “Sure, always happy to spend time with my grandbabies.” She put out a hand to Abel. “C’mon honey, if your Mama wants you in school, then that’s what we should do, right?”

Abel nodded at her. “Right.” He took his Grandma’s hand, turning and saying good-bye to his other grandparents, as he and his Grandma walked to the elevator.

After they walked off, he turned back to the other three. “I don’t know how long it will take for Thomas to calm down.” He sighed and leaned against the wall. “I think we’re gonna have to tell her.” He looked at Sam and Tig.

Both men nodded, not looking happy about it. Tig stood up and stretched. “I’m gonna go back to the clubhouse, fill the others in.” He grinned a little. “Maybe actually work. Call me if anything changes, I’ll check in later.”

He nodded. “Yeah. We’ll see how things are going here, I’ll be over later.” 

Tig nodded to them all as he walked off, heading for the stairs.

He looked over at Sam and Judith. “Like I said, I have no idea how long it’s gonna be until Thomas calms down. You two may want to go get a cup of coffee.”

Sam nodded and put an arm around Judith’s waist, turning her towards the elevator. “Okay, we’ll go grab a cup from the cafeteria. You’ve got my cel. Let us know.” Judith nodded her agreement.

He nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.” He turned to go back into the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! I love hearing from you guys so please, feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to those who have clicked that kudo button and have taken the time to comment!


	80. Chapter Seventy-Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in Ella's room...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. Any and all mistakes are mine.

When Jackie took Abel out to get the lad to school like his Mama wanted, Chibs walked over to the bed where the littlest Teller was still crying his eyes out.

He sat on the edge of the bed, putting a hand on Thomas’ back. “No need for those lad.” 

Thomas turned his head a little so the lad could see his face. He smiled. “Didn’t I tell ye, Mama would be just fine, and that no one is mad at ye?”

Ella looked at him. He flinched a little at the look in her eyes. After the bombshell the Doc dropped on her this morning, his credibility was a little low. Even though she understood why he hadn’t told her about the babies, she was still certain they weren’t telling her everything and now she had all the proof she needed crying in her arms.

Giving him a last glare, she put her face in Thomas’ hair. “Thomas, I’m not mad at you. I’m so thankful that you didn’t get hurt, that Twink got you inside and into the office.”

Thomas sniffled a little. “You won’t send me back to Mommy?”

Ella kissed the lad’s head. “Never.” She kissed him again. “In fact, Uncle Chibs called Mama’s lawyer and he’s going to come today so that I can sign the papers that will mean Mommy will never, ever be able to take you from us again.”

His heart stopped for a second as the lad lifted a hopeful face to them. “Never?”

He smiled at Thomas. “Never, lad.” He leaned down and gave the lad a kiss on the temple. “Yer home now and no one can make ye go.” He looked at Ella, who was glaring at him less than she was a minute ago.

The door opened and he looked over his shoulder to see Jackie come back in. He knew the look that Jackie had on his face. He wanted to tell Ella everything. He closed his eyes for a moment. Jackie wasn’t wrong, he just wasn’t sure that even with the shape she was in, they would be able to stop her from killing Tara.

Jackie walked over to the three of them, taking a seat on the edge of the bed beside him, leaning over. “We need to talk.”

He nodded. “Aye.” He looked over to Ella, who was looking at the two of them over Thomas’ head. She nodded at them. He stood, looking down at their girl with Thomas still sniffling in her arm. “Let’s go get a smoke Jackie. Haven’t been out since about four.”

Jackie nodded and stood. “Sounds good.” Jackie leaned over to the littlest Teller, well at least for the moment, maybe. “I’m going to go get a smoke with Uncle Chibs. You gonna take care of Mama for us?” 

He smiled at the nod Thomas gave his Da. Ella looked at them both carefully, he knew that she could see that Jackie had made up his mind to tell her. Which meant they were gonna tell her sooner rather than later. He wasn’t really good at saying no to either her or Jackie. 

She smiled. “Go get your smokes. Thomas and I will take a little nap.” She waved them on with her right hand.

They both nodded as they turned to leave the room. As he closed the door behind them, he could see her hold the lad a little tighter as she closed her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it!! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked that kudo button and taken the time to comment!


	81. Chapter Eighty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Judith have a conversation in the cafeteria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

After getting them both coffee, Sam brought the coffees back to the table she had sat down at. When he sat down, she looked at her ex-husband. Their divorce hadn’t happened because they didn’t love each other. They divorced because Sam couldn’t keep it in his pants. 

She smiled a little as she remembered telling Ella years ago how even after all of the years her and Sam had been apart, when she read something or saw a certain movie, her first thought was still ‘Sam would love this’.

He had also grabbed a paper with the coffees. That made her smile again. It wasn’t unusual for her ex to read multiple papers in a morning. She looked at what he had grabbed. The San Francisco Examiner. As he pulled out the sports section, he handed her the first section of the paper.

She looked up at her first husband over the paper. She could tell he wasn’t reading it. He looked over at her. “What do you want Judith?” He sounded mildly amused.

“What do you think of all this?” She arched an eyebrow at him.

“All of what Judith?” He sat the paper down, a sign he was willing to have an actual conversation.

She gave him a wry smile. “Let’s see…all of it Samuel.”

He shrugged. “Unlike you, I figured out a long time ago to let Ella do what she was going to do. She’s not stupid, and strangely enough she is happy here. She has a thriving little business, she is loved and she found her boys here.” He smiled at her. “As for the unconventional portion of her life, that’s exactly what it is, her life. We can’t live it for her. And I agree with Twink, she found what she needed here, period. And I’ve addressed my concerns with her, and she gave me answers that made sense.”

She nodded, Sam gave her the answer she expected. He didn’t understand their daughter any better than she did, he was just more accepting of it. She shook her head, clearing it. “And now she’s pregnant.”

Sam’s smile became wide and he suddenly looked very much like the young reporter she had fallen for almost fifty years earlier. “Yes.”

She hated to burst his bubble. “With twins, for the first time at the age of forty-five. And a new four-year-old son who has obviously been abused for at least the last year. And a seven-year-old who will need to adjust to a lot. That’s a lot of stress.”

He looked at her for a moment. “What do you know about Thomas?”

She shook her head. She was starting to get really tired of all of the cryptic crap that the rest of them were playing at. “Sam, you know I’m not an idiot and what I’ve done for the last thirty years. I know an abused child when I see one.” She sighed. “I don’t know the details if that’s what you’re asking. And from the looks on all of your faces, I’m not sure I want to.”

He sat there, looking down at the paper. He looked back to her. “No you probably don’t.” He chuckled darkly. “Plus Jackson and Filip don’t need to worry about another woman thinking of killing Tara.” He picked his paper back up, the signal that as far as he was concerned the conversation was over.

She sipped her coffee and waited for Sam’s cel to ring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it. I love hearing from you guys, so please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms!!
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked the kudo button and taken the time to comment!!


	82. Chapter Eighty-One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chibs and jax get their smoke, and then get summoned back inside...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

When they got outside, Jackie turned and looked at him. “Heard the doctor told her about the babies. And it didn’t go well.” Jackie’s blue eyes were full of worry. Chibs knew Jackie was worried she wouldn’t want the babies. That as far as she was concerned, Abel and Thomas were enough. To be fair to the lad, their girl hadn't been one to make a fuss over infants or really voice any want for her own babies. But he knew; she had just locked all those thoughts away where they couldn't eat at her.

Smiling, he patted Jackie’s knee. “She was pissed a doctor told her.” Chuckling a little. “And shocked as fuckin’ hell. Then laughed as much as she was able to when we told her there were two of ‘em.”

He threw an arm around Jackie’s shoulder, giving the younger man a quick squeeze. “Don’t worry Jackie, our girl is happy about ‘em.”

Jackie nodded absently. He sighed. “What’s eatin’ ye Jackie?”

Jackie took a drag of his smoke and looked at him, his blue eyes serious. “I think we need to tell her everything.”

He sat there for a minute. As much as he didn’t want to stress her, Thomas’ behavior less than twenty minutes ago was sounding alarm bells even louder in her head and they both knew it. He took a drag off his cigarette. “Aye.”

Jackie looked at him, probably a little surprised he hadn’t put up more of an argument. He almost felt bad he had deprived Jackie the chance to give the list of reasons he had probably spent most of the morning thinking up. “That was easy.”

He looked at Jackie. “After Thomas losin’ it, pretty positive she’s gonna jump both our asses the first chance she gets. I’d really rather not have her any more pissed at me than she already is.”

That made Jackie laugh a little. “No, life really isn’t any fun when she’s mad is it?”

He chuckled. “No, not really.”

The two of them sat companionably for a while, smoking, trying to give their girl some more time with Thomas, maybe alleviate the lad’s fears a little.

They were sitting there when a nurse came hustling out. She stopped in front of them. “Um, you guys need to go inside.” She looked at him. “Your wife told me to tell the two of you, and I’m quoting her. ‘Tell them they need to get they’re thinking they can hide shit from me asses up here now.’ I’m sorry, but that’s what she told me to say.” He nearly laughed at how scared the girl looked.

They got up, Jackie, ever the gentleman, thanked the young nurse and explained that Ella just wasn’t good with being laid up, made her edgy. The girl gave Jackie a brilliant smile that normally the lad would have been filing away. The fact that he wasn’t showed how fucked up the last week had been.

They rushed up to their girl’s room, opening the door. Thomas was still lying beside her, his little eyes nearly swollen shut. Ella’s didn’t look much better.

She looked at Jackie. “Where’s Gemma or my Dad?” Her voice was rough and it was filled with barely concealed anger. 

Jackie swallowed. “Mom should be back anytime, and your parents are in the cafeteria waitin’ on me to text ‘em when they can come see you.”

She looked at both him and Jackie. The amount of fury in her eyes was worrying. “Call them, get them up here.” She kissed Thomas’ head. “Grandma Judith and Grandpa Sam are gonna go take you to get something to eat. I’m going to talk to your Daddy and Uncle Chibs.” Jackie pulled out his phone and called Sam immediately.

He watched as Thomas nodded. “Okay Mama.” The lad’s voice was almost as rough as Ella’s.

He sat in the recliner as Ella continued to hug Thomas to her, every once in a while giving both him and Jackie dirty looks. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, waiting for Sam and Judith to come get the lad so he and Jackie could get their asses chewed out by their girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I love hearing from you guys!
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked that kudo button and taken the time to comment!


	83. Chapter Eighty-Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax and Chibs get bitched out by Ella. And the OB pays a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

After Sam and Judith came to get Thomas, Ella looked at both him and Chibs, eyes blazing. “Tara was arrested? She’s now in the hospital? Why in the fuck am I learning this from a four-year-old?! One or both of you had better start talking or I swear I’ll have Tig shoot you both.” Jax was pretty sure that Tig would do what she told him to.

He looked over at Chibs who looked like he wanted to be anywhere other than where he was. He knew the feeling. He had the feeling that this was going to be worse than either of them imagined.

Chibs went and perched by her on the edge of the bed. “Aye, Roosevelt picked up Tara after the prick who shot you started talkin’ after his prints didn’t match the ID he was carryin’.” 

Ella closed her eyes for a second. “What charges?”

He sat next to Chibs and looked at her. “Child endangerment and neglect. Accessory to child abuse and sexual abuse of a child. Drug possession. And the Feds are probably going to file some sort of accessory to child pornography.”

He noticed how Ella had taken Chibs hand, squeezing it. “Why is she here? Detoxing?” He wasn't sure if her jaw was clenched out of anger or pain.

Chibs nodded. “Aye. She’s gonna be released sometime today or tomorrow.”

Ella nodded. “What happened to Thomas? What did that fucking slime ball of a human being do to him?”

He looked over at Chibs who was looking at the floor. He heard Ella exhale. “One of you need to tell me what’s going on. I know you’re trying to save me stress, but not knowing is way more stressful for me.”

Chibs nodded. “We know luv. Just wanted ye to be a little stronger before we told ye.”

She smiled, he could still see the sedatives in her system. Her smile was a little loopy. “We don’t have that kind of time.”

Chibs nodded again, then looked at him. He looked at Ella. “It’s bad darlin’.”

She nodded. “Always thought it would be.”

He nodded and told her what Tig had done, what he had found out. By the time he had finished, all three of them were in tears. He and Chibs each holding one of her hands.

She looked up at them, tears still coming down her face. “While I have no need for the details, please tell me that you have something in mind for that bastard.”

They both nodded. He knew Chibs really didn’t talk club business with her too much, but he did. And he was pretty positive Tig did too. And none of the other guys hid much from her.

She nodded, and started to struggle to sit up. She looked up at the two of them. “Little help here?”

Chibs put an arm behind her back, helping her sit up. She went pale for a moment, clenching her jaw and breathing deeply through her nose. He knew she was trying to control the pain. And the anger.

Chibs looked at him, raised an eyebrow, then back to Ella. “What are ye trying to do luv?”

Through gritted teeth, she looked at them both like they were idiots. “Get up, what does it look like?”

Chibs raised an eyebrow at her. “And yer tryin’ to get up, why?” His arm still holding her up.

She looked at them both, the level of anger in her eyes a bit worrying. “You two said Tara may be released today.” She took another deep breath. “She’s going to get a piece of my mind before she goes.”

Both him and Chibs looked at each other and then back at her. If he wasn’t so worried about her trying to do too much, he would have laughed at the look on her face. It was the same look that Abel got on his face when he was determined to do something. Sometimes it was easy to forget that she wasn’t Abel’s birth mother.

Chibs had no problems chuckling. “And all the things yer hooked up to?”

She shrugged. “The IV can come with me.”

He watched as Chibs just arched an eyebrow. “Not the only place yer hooked up luv.”

This time he did chuckle as she went a little pink. “Oh, yeah.”

Chibs chuckled. “Aye. Think yer stuck luv,”

All three of them jumped a little as a nurse came in, Helen. Both he and Chibs nodded to her as she came over to the bed. “Hey, you’re sitting up.” Helen nodded. “Good. Doctor Pierce wants you to try to get up and walk a bit.”

Helen didn’t notice the look of triumph in Ella’s eyes or the concern in his and Chibs’. Ella now had her ticket to Tara whether they liked it or not.

Helen turned to the two of them. “Need you two to clear out for a minute.”

Chibs shook his head at her. “Nope. I’m stayin’, know what ye have to do.”

He nodded at Helen. “Let me know when I can come back.” He stepped out into the hall. A few minutes later Helen stuck her head out the door.

“You can come back in Jax.” She opened the door for him.

When he got back into the room, he could see that Ella had swung her legs over the side of the bed. Chibs looked over at him. “Jackie, pull that IV stand around to this side.” 

He did as Chibs asked, being careful to make sure that nothing was pulling at her left arm. When he got it around to the side of the bed she was on, she grabbed it with her left hand, trying to use it for leverage to get up. He stopped her. “Darlin’ it’s on wheels, not going to be much help.”

Chibs chuckled a little. “Jackie’s right, let us help ye get standing, then we’ll go from there.”

She nodded, he was a little worried that maybe the doctor was pushing her too soon. He and Chibs each took a side as she slid off the bed, her feet hitting the floor. She hissed a little. At the same time he and Chibs put an arm around her, Chibs burr in her ear. “Ye okay luv?”

She lightly laughed. “Floor’s cold.” She took a shaky step towards the bathroom, both him and Chibs still hanging on to her. After a few more steps, she asked them to let go. They did, keeping their hands ready to catch her if she started to go down.

Very slowly she made her way to the bathroom, her steps small and shuffling. When she made her way into the bathroom she stood, leaning on the sink. Chibs looked at her while standing in the doorway. “What are ye needin’ luv?”

She turned, looking at them. He didn’t like the look of pain on her face. “Toothbrush. Feels like I’m growing mold in my mouth.”

Chibs chuckled. “When someone else gets here, we’ll send ‘em to the shop to get one for ye.”

She turned on the water, using her hand to scoop water into her mouth, he supposed trying to rinse the worst of it away. “Or one of you can go ask a nurse for one.”

He chuckled. “Alright darlin’, I’ll go get you one.” He hurried out of the room to do her bidding.

After getting her the toothbrush and her managing to get her teeth brushed, Chibs insisted she lie back down for a little bit. He could see as much as she wanted to argue, she was already worn out. On the way back she allowed the two of them to help her the entire way.

Once they got her back into the bed, the door opened again. This time it looked to be a doctor, a doctor that Ella recognized. “Gregory. I’m guessing the surgeon here called you?”

The man nodded as he put out a hand to Chibs and then him in turn. “Dr. Gregory Rodgers.” Then the man turned to Ella. “I’ve looked at the ultrasounds that the doctors did here.” The doctor turned and looked at him and Chibs. 

Before the doctor could say anything Ella looked at him. “You can talk with both of them in the room. It will save me from having to remember what you said.”

The doctor shrugged and nodded. “Well, from what I saw, I’d say you were somewhere closer to twelve weeks.”

He watched Ella frown. He was grateful the doctor’s back was to him and Chibs, because the two of them looked at each other worriedly. Maybe she wasn’t as thrilled as they thought she was.

Still frowning, she looked at the doctor. “Why would I keep having my period?”

The doctor looked at her. “Were you actually having full periods?” 

She shook her head. “No. Spotty and kind of, well, not red.”

The doctor smiled a little. “Body purging old matter from your uterus. Not all that unusual.”

He was sure that Chibs let out the same sigh of relief he did when she visibly relaxed, the frown fading. She nodded. “Okay. But what about what I was told when I was twenty?”

The doctor smiled. “That was twenty-five years ago, Ella. Medical practices and technologies are so much more advanced.” The smile faded. “I’m not going to lie; you probably will have to spend at least the last portion of your pregnancy on either bed rest or extremely limited activity. And we’ll have to make arrangements to perform a C-section sometime before the due date.” The doctor looked back to him and Chibs, then back to Ella. “We really don’t want you to go into actual labor, for your sake and the babies.”

He turned back to them. “Now I am going to ask both of you to leave, I need to perform an exam.”

He turned to leave, noticing that Chibs wasn’t moving. Chibs looked at the doctor. “Do what ye have to, but I’m not leavin’.” Chibs moved and sat back down in the recliner. 

He looked at Ella, who waved him on. “Go wait for my parents to get back with Thomas. Don’t want him to freak out if he can’t get in here.” Then she looked at the doctor. “And he…” She indicated Chibs. “Isn’t going anywhere. He’s had some medical training, and like I said before, I’m in no shape to remember the small details.” 

The doctor shrugged. “Okay.”

He looked at Ella one more time before going to wait for Judith and Sam to come back with Thomas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! I love hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to those who have clicked that kudo button and taken the time to comment!


	84. Chapter Eighty-Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ella confronts Tara. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

It was late afternoon when Tara was informed that she would be released in the morning, and would be taken straight to county lock up. She took the news stoically. It was all she could really do at this point. With the charges against her, she wasn’t going to find much sympathy from any one.

She was lying there, feeling sorry for herself when the door to her room opened. Ella in a wheelchair being pushed by Jax. She closed her eyes. She really wasn’t in the mood for this shit anymore.

She opened her eyes and looked at the other woman. Ella looked pale, like she was in a great deal of pain, her pixie hair in disarray. She sat up a little. “What do you want?”

Ella said nothing, just continued to look at her like she was a piece of trash that Ella was trying to figure out what to do with. She started to become uncomfortable. Ella continued to look at her, and then looked up at Jax, who just rubbed her shoulder. He wouldn’t even look at her, instead preferring to watch Ella.

She sighed. “If you just came to stare at me, you can go ahead and leave.”

Ella shook her head. “I was just thinking, I’ve been shot, twice. Sedated for almost three days straight and I still look better than you.” She looked up at Jax. “Guess I now know I’m way too vain to ever be a junkie. Hmm. You really do learn something new every day.”

She rolled her eyes. “And if you came to just be a bitch, you can still go.”

She flinched a little at the fury in Ella’s eyes. “I think at this point, you are going take whatever I decide to dish out.” Ella’s voice was cold and precise. “What you allowed to happen to Thomas is absolutely unforgivable. There is no redemption for what you let that man do to a son you claim to love.”

She went to say something but Ella cut her off. “No. There is no defense for what happened to Thomas. What you let that man do to him. You do understand that what that man did, will be out in the ether of the internet for all time.” Ella’s fury started to leak into her voice. “You know what I think? I think you didn’t give a fuck what he did to Thomas because in the end, every time you looked at Thomas, you saw Jackson, and just couldn’t be bothered to care.”

She looked at the older woman. “Now you’ve said your piece, why don’t you go back to your old man. Oh wait, I forget which one of them it is.”

Ella smiled. “That’s an easy answer. Both of them.” Her smile became a little wider. “Already know about both Jackson and Filip’s earlier conversations with you. What happens in our home, is our business. My sons and future babies…” Ella rested her hand across her lower abdomen. “Know that they have three people who love each other and love them. They know that they are taken care of and cherished. And that’s all that matters. And it is far more than a lot children have.”

She laid back. “Are you done now? I’d like to enjoy what little time I have left.”

Ella smiled. “I wouldn’t be so fatalistic. If anything happens to you, it won’t be from us. I think it’s a far worse punishment for you to have to live a very long life knowing that you lost your son all on your own. Not because of Jackson. Not because SAMCRO. You. All by yourself.” Ella shook her head. “You are a pathetic excuse for a human being, and it’s my fervent hope I never see you again. Jackson please take me back to my room.”

Jax nodded as he patted Ella’s shoulder. “Alright, darlin’.” He turned the chair around and pushed her out.

She laid back, thinking of what the older woman had said. That Ella did not want her dead, that it would be far worse for her to live a long life with the knowledge of what she had allowed to happen to Thomas. The woman probably wasn’t wrong.

She shook her head. When she decided to come back, she had worried about Jax, she had worried about Gemma. Who knew it was going to be someone she really did not know at all who would end up being the one to be reckoned with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! I love hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked that kudo button and taken the time to comment!!


	85. Chapter Eighty-Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax takes Ella back to her room. And Roosevelt pays a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. Any and all mistakes are mine.
> 
> Not a doctor, lawyer, or cop. Nor do I play one on TV. But I can do whatever I want with them here.

As Jax was pushing Ella back to her room, he looked down seeing a small smile on her face. He leaned down. “What are you smiling about?”

She looked up at him. “The false hope I just gave Tara.” She shook her head. “If she thinks I’m willing to let her live after what she allowed to happen to Thomas, she really is stupid.”

He chuckled a little. “I thought it was a little strange you were going to give her a pass.”

She looked up at him again, her gray eyes dark like an impending storm. “Nope, no passes. I wasn’t lying, whatever that prick put over the net is out there forever.” She shook her head angrily. “And she can pretend all she wants, she knew what was going on and she didn’t do a goddamned thing to stop it.”

She chuckled darkly. “What is it with her?” She looked up to him. “Granted, you are a criminal, Filip is a criminal, but between Kohn and this Brent guy, it’s the supposed non-criminals she finds that fuck everything up. She acts like SAMCRO is evil incarnate, and yet she’s the one that brought true evil into our lives.”

He shrugged. “I wish I knew darlin’.” He rubbed her shoulder. “Let’s get back before Chibs comes looking for us. Plus, my Mom should be back with Thomas and Abel anytime, school was out about twenty minutes ago.”

She smiled. “Yeah.” Still smiling she looked back to him. “Greg said we can tell the boys. What do you think?”

He grinned. “I think some good news would be a good thing.” Then his grin faded a little. “What about Thomas?”

She smiled. “Thomas is a caretaker at heart, it might do him some good to have something he can help with. If Greg is right, and I end up on bed rest, he’ll be thrilled to be my helper dude.”

He nodded. “Yeah, he does seem to like to help.”

When they got close to Ella’s room, the two of them ran into his Mom with both boys. The boys ran up to the wheelchair, excited as all hell. Abel was nearly bouncing. “Mama, you’re up!” Thomas just wanted up.

She looked at the two. “Yep, but unfortunately I’m headed back to bed, my little ride wore me out.”

His Mom gave him a look. Making his way over to her as the boys decided they wanted to try and push the wheelchair. She leaned over. “Little ride?”

He nodded, keeping his voice low. “She felt she needed to give Tara a piece of her mind.” He chuckled a little. “And give her a little false hope that we would leave her be, let the courts do what they’ll do.”

His Mom raised an eyebrow. “Well. Good for her.”

The two of them watched as the boys, one on each side, tried to push the wheelchair down the hall. They did not get far. Mostly just managing to spin her around in circles. Laughing a little he took back over. “Sorry guys, but we need to get Mama back to her room sometime today.”

The boys settled for helping him wheel their Mama back to her room. When they got there, they found Chibs asleep in the recliner. Ella looked up at him, slight smile on her face. “Everyone sleeps at home tonight. I’ll be fine alone.” Her voice quiet.

He nodded, leaning down to talk in her ear. “But you have to tell him, otherwise he’ll argue.”

She smiled her agreement. Then he watched her look around the room. Both of her parents were sitting in chairs, working on computers. His mom was getting Abel started on homework, and Thomas had crawled up onto Chibs lap, looking to be settling in for his own little nap.

He put the brakes on the wheelchair, and helped her get back into bed. He noticed how she paled while he was helping her. Leaning in. “You okay darlin’?”

He noticed she was clenching her jaw as she nodded. He didn’t say anything. He knew that she did not want to be sedated again. After he got her into the bed and covered up, he looked down at her. “I’m gonna run out for a smoke and check in with Tig. Happy, Juice, and Waylon are on a run.”

She nodded. “Okay. Have one for me, since well, you know.” The look on her face was somewhere between great happiness and nicotine withdrawals.

Chibs voice broke in. “Doc says yer not to quit cold turkey. Not good for…” Trailing off, aware of Abel and Thomas.

He almost laughed as Ella’s Mom chimed in that she hadn’t and things were just fine. Ella shook her head. She looked at him. “Go, get your smoke and check in.”

He smiled at her. “Yes ma’am.” As he was getting ready to walk out, Roosevelt came in.

The sheriff smiled when he saw Ella sitting up. “Ella, good to see you awake and sitting up.”

She nodded. “Thank you Eli.” 

Roosevelt nodded. “Need to talk with Jax and Chibs for a minute.”

Chibs stood, putting Thomas on the bed with Ella, who immediately wrapped her right arm around him. Chibs gave Ella a quick kiss. “Be right back luv.”

She nodded. “Not going anywhere.”

When the three of them got out into the hallway, Roosevelt turned to them. “How are the babies? I didn’t want to ask in front of the boys.”

Chibs smiled. “Doc saw her today. Says everything is good.”

Roosevelt nodded. “I wanted to let you know that an investigator from the DA’s office wants to come by to talk to Ella.”

He frowned. “Thought the guy had cut a deal?”

Roosevelt nodded. “Pleading guilty to all of the state charges to avoid the federal rap. Although he is cooperating with their investigation into the child pornography ring.” He could see the distaste in the sheriff’s eyes. “So talking with Ella is just routine. For the moment I’ve got them talked into not talking to Thomas. Told them they’d have to get through Ella first, and that probably wouldn’t be pleasant.”

Chibs chuckled. “Ye have no idea.”

Roosevelt smiled. “Oh, I have a pretty good one.” The smile left his face. “Tara will be released tomorrow and transferred to county from here.”

He shrugged. “Don’t care. Good riddance.”

Roosevelt nodded. “Okay then, that’s all I wanted to let you know. DA’s investigator will probably show sometime tomorrow.”

Chibs nodded. “She’ll be here until the end of the week at least.”

Roosevelt nodded and walked away. Both he and Chibs looked at each other. He shrugged. “We always knew someone would have to talk to her. Might as well get it over with.”

Chibs nodded. “Go get yer smoke Jackie.”

He turned to go, then turned back around. “Ella wants to tell the boys.” It was worth telling Chibs, just for the genuine smile that crossed his face.

“Probably should, considering how far along. She’ll start showin’ soon.” Another smile from the Scot.

“Yeah.” He had his own smile going. “I’ll be back in a few. Then we’ll chuck Gemma, Judith, and Sam out and tell them.” He walked off towards the elevators.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! I love hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked the kudo button and have taken the time to comment. You guys rock!


	86. Chapter Eighty-Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chibs, Ella, and Jax tell the boys about the babies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

After Jackson returned from checking in with Tig and getting his cigarette, she had nearly laughed when he and Filip kicked her parents and Gemma out of the room. With that action she looked over at her little ones. Abel had finished his homework and was coloring with his brother.

She motioned for Filip to help her prop herself up in her hospital bed. After she got herself settled, she looked at the boys. “Abel, Thomas.”

The two looked up at her happily. “What Mama?”

Jackson looked down at them. “Need you two to put the colors up for a minute. Mama, Uncle Chibs and I need to talk to you two about something.”

Both boys got suspicious looks in their eyes. She smiled at them. “This isn’t bad stuff guys.” She looked at Jackson and Filip. “Can you put them up here?”

They both hastened to do her bidding. Maybe she should get shot more often, then feeling the twinge as the bed dipped, maybe not. Once the boys were settled, and Jackson and Filip had found spots to perch, she took a deep breath, not only trying to control the pain, but gathering courage to say words that she would have bet money she would never say.

She decided to just jump in. “Well boys, when Mama was having her operation, the doctors found something out.” She saw the fear on Abel’s face, then remembered that a classmate had a mother diagnosed with breast cancer last year. She reached over and patted Abel’s hand. “What the doctors found was that Mama is pregnant.”

Abel’s eyes got huge. “Like with a baby?”

Jackson laughed. “That’s what pregnant means buddy.”

Abel looked back at her, excited. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

She shrugged. “It’s a little soon to tell, but there’s something else you boys need to know, it’s not just one baby, there are two.”

Abel’s smile was absolutely beaming. “Twins? That’s so cool!”

She looked at Thomas, who didn’t look quite as thrilled. She put an arm around him. “What’s going on honey?”

He looked at her a little unsure. “Does that mean you don’t want me since you’re gonna have other babies?”

She tried to keep the tears out of her eyes, but they weren’t listening. “Oh no, honey. What it means is that you will have little brothers or sisters, or one of each to be a big brother to just like Abel is a big brother to you.” She hugged him tighter. God, she would give nearly anything for him to be the happy toddler he'd been before Tara took off with him. “Remember the tall man that came when your brother was in school, the one who had Mama sign all of those papers?”

She saw Filip and Jackson let out sighs of relief when Thomas nodded, perking up a little. “Yes, he says he works for you.”

She smiled. “Right. Well those papers I signed mean that I am your Mama now for real, no one can take you away from us, ever.”

Thomas started to cry a little, she had the feeling that these were tears of relief. Still hugging him. “Why are you crying honey?” She had a feeling they were good tears, but wanted to make sure.

He looked at her. “I don’t know.” The little guy wiped at his eyes. “I think I’m happy, but why would I cry if I was happy?”

Filip reached over and ruffled Thomas’ dark hair. “Sometimes when ye get a lot of feelings going on, it’s really the only thing ye can do.” Wiping his eyes, Thomas seemed to accept Filip's reasoning.

Thomas looked at Filip and then over to his Dad. “So where are the babies?”

She nearly choked on the laughter she was trying and failing to hold in at the looks on her two big boys’ faces. The two of them having a little unspoken duel over who was going to answer that one. She decided to be kind and save them both. She took Thomas’ hand and placed it on her lower abdomen. “Right here.”

Thomas looked at her confused. “Why are they in there?”

Now Jackson and Filip were laughing at her. Thank God her oldest son stepped in. “Thomas babies have to live in their Mama’s until they're big enough to live with us.” Abel looked at her, he had a few friends whose mothers had been pregnant. “When will the babies be here?”

Filip took over since he had paid far more attention than she had. When Greg had been here, she had been exhausted and preoccupied with what she had learned from Jackson and Filip. “Well lad, they’ll probably be here sometime around your Da’s birthday.”

She noticed the shock on Jackson’s face, guess they had neglected to fill him in on all the details. He looked at the two of them. “Really?” The smile on his face wide and genuine. It was the smile she loved seeing.

Filip grinned. “Really,”

Thomas still looked confused. She reached over. “What are you thinking about honey?”

Thomas’ little brow was furrowed. “How did the babies get in there?”

The three of them looked at each other. Well, hell, she hadn’t thought about him asking that, which showed her how not her usual self she was at the moment. She thought for a minute. Jackson and Filip were gonna let her handle this one. Fucking cowards. “What do you mean honey?”

Thomas sat there for a minute. “You don’t look like you have babies in you.”

She nodded. “Right now they are very small. They have to grow some before they can be out here with us.”

She wanted to smack the smirks off of Filip and Jackson’s faces. Thomas kept looking at her. “But what about when they get hungry?”

She started to laugh hysterically, on the inside. “Well, they get their food from me.” She reached over and patted Thomas’ leg. “Honey, I’ll find you a book we can look at together that will explain everything. But it will have to wait until I get to come home, okay?”

Thomas smiled happily, it seemed like his fears had been assuaged and he accepted the answers she had given him on the rest. Then he looked at her again. “But I don’t understand how they got in there.”

Jackson chuckled. “Uncle Chibs helped. It takes a mommy and a daddy to make a baby.”

She shot Jackson a look somewhere between thanks and ‘I can’t believe you just said that’. Then looked over at Thomas. “Honey, why don’t we wait until I get that book, because there are all sorts of explanations we could give you, but I’m not sure how much you would understand.” She rubbed his back a little. “But what’s going on is part of life, it’s very natural.”

She relaxed a little when Thomas seemed to accept what she said. He looked at her. “I have another question.”

She smiled at him. “Ask away honey.”

“Are they going to share Abel’s room with us?” He seemed to like the idea.

She felt a little bad giving him an answer. “Sorry honey, they’ll have to be upstairs close to Mama and Uncle Chibs, because when they are really small, they’ll wake up a lot wanting to be fed.” Then she smiled at him. “But I think it’s very sweet that you would share.”

He looked at her a little confused again. “But that’s what big brothers do right?”

Jackson smiled at him. “It is buddy.” Then chuckled a little. “But babies need a lot of help, they can’t do anything on their own so that’s why they need to be close to Mama and Uncle Chibs.”

Thomas beamed at the praise. Abel looked at them all. “Can we help pick out names?”

Filip chuckled a little. “We’ll start a list, little man.” Then smiled at her. “But I have the feeling Mama will have the last word on that.”

She nodded, imaging the names the boys would come up with. Then all of a sudden she felt very tired. Thankfully Filip picked up on it. He looked at the boys. “Think it’s time to let Mama get some rest, don’t want to wear her out.”

The boys looked at her, worried. “I’m fine boys, just a little tired.” She looked over at the clock, almost five-thirty. “Plus I think it’s almost time for you guys to go home and get some dinner.” She cut the boys off before they could protest. “You can come back later to say goodnight before all of you go home for the night.” She gave Filip a pointed look. He didn’t look happy, but nodded anyway.

He stood up. “C’mon lads, let’s get ye home for some dinner.” He leaned over kissing her. “We’ll be back luv.” He looked over to Jackson who was helping their boys get their stuff together.

She nodded, lying back. As Filip was ushering the boys out, Jackson looked at them. “Just need to talk to Mama for a minute, I’ll be right out.”

The boys nodded as Filip gave him a smile. “We’ll meet ye at the Rover. Ye gonna bring the boy’s things?”

Jackson nodded. “Yeah, I should only be a minute.”

After Filip and the boys left, she looked at him. “What do we need to talk about?” She knew she sounded bitchy but she was tired and hurting.

He smiled at her. “This.” He leaned down and kissed her. Standing back up. “Do you want us to bring anything back with us tonight?”

She nodded. “My laptop, and my phone. And some pajamas. I hate this fucking hospital gown.”

He chuckled a little at that. “I don’t know, kinda like the look on ya.”

She shook her head, laughing a little. “Go home and feed our sons Jackson. I’ll see all of you in a bit.”

Smiling as he walked to the door. “Yes Ma’am.” When the door closed behind him, she sat back for a second with a smile on her face. Yeah, things were not optimal at the moment. She'd been shot, Thomas had spent at least a year in hell. But, she was healing, Thomas was home, and there were two more Telford-Kinloch-Teller babies on the way. Hopefully, by the time they arrived, things would be back to where they should be.

She laid back down, finding sleep quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I love hearing from you guys!!
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked the kudo button and have taken the time to comment! They are much appreciated.


	87. Chapter Eighty-Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judith spends some time with her daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Judith sat in the recliner reading a book while her daughter slept. While everyone else had gone home to eat, she had told them she would get something from the cafeteria. She noticed while the others had accepted it without question, Filip gave her a look of reluctance before nodding.

She sighed a little, while both Jackson and Gemma had seemed to come around, Filip had been polite, but distant. She had the feeling that as much as Ella may love Jackson, Filip was the one she trusted completely. She was getting ready to get back into her book when a big, burly biker with long dirty blonde hair came in followed by a buxom blonde.

The two stopped short when they saw her, but both recovered quickly, the woman coming over, hand extended. “You must be La’s Mom. I’m Cynda.” Shaking her hand. “This big lug is my husband Ben, but most call him Bugsy.”

She shook the man’s hand. “Bugsy?”

He shrugged with a smile. “From Las Vegas.”

She had to smile at that. “A perfect nickname for someone named Ben from Las Vegas.”

He laughed at that. “Same thing La said the first time I met her.” Then looked over to her daughter who was starting to wake up. “Hey girl, how ya feelin’?”

Ella tried to sit up, Cynda rushing over to help. “Take it slow honey, no reason to stress yourself.” The blonde gave her daughter a huge smile. “Or the babies.”

After Ella had sat up, she took a couple of deep breaths. “Does everyone know now?”

Bugsy laughed. “Dropped Ty and Susie over at your house. Abel and Thomas were quick to share the news.” He laughed a little harder. “They’re pretty excited.”

She could see her daughter relax a fraction at that news. “Good.” Ella sighed. “I wasn’t really worried about Abel, but Thomas was a bit of a wild card.” 

Bugsy shook his head at Ella. “Nah, he follows Abel’s lead. Plus, he likes the idea of being a big brother.” She wanted to voice her agreement. Thomas was excited to be a big brother, he'd nearly been vibrating with excitement when the boys shared the news with her and Sam.

Her daughter smiled. It really was a beautiful smile. “Yeah. He wanted to know if they would share him and Abel’s room.”

They all laughed a little at that, Cynda, who was perched on the bed next to her daughter smiled. “Abel did not seem as thrilled with that idea as Thomas was.” Then reached over and tried to smooth Ella’s hair. “I’ll come up tomorrow morning and talk to the nurses about helpin’ you get a shower. That’ll help with making you feel better.”

Ella nodded. “That would be great.” Then looked over to Bugsy, who had a slight smile on his face. “Get those thoughts out of your head right now mister.”

The burly man grinned. “I’m a guy, it’s what we do.”

She chuckled when both her daughter and the man’s wife flipped him off. The two stayed for a couple of more minutes until the blonde took her husband’s arm. “We should get back so Chibs and Jax can get the boys up here to say goodnight.”

Her daughter nodded. “It’s about that time.” She noticed that even with the chaos of the current situation, Ella was determined to keep the boys on the schedule that Abel had been on for the last couple of years.

When the two left and she and Ella were left alone, she really looked at her daughter. And under the pain and stress of the moment, she could see contentment. She had always associated her daughter with a certain restlessness, as if there was always something lacking. But that was gone.

“You’re happy here.” While she had meant for it to be a question, it had come out a statement. Oh well, there it was.

Ella smiled as she laid back. “Yes.” Her daughter looked at her out of the corner of her eye. “And?” She almost sighed at the slightly defensive tone in her child’s voice. At this point in their lives it seemed as if they would never have an easy time of it.

She shook her head. “And nothing. I was simply making an observation.” This time she did sigh. “I’m not going to claim I understand it, and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it all. But you do seem to be content, and that does matter to me regardless of what you think.”

Ella turned her head, really looking at her. She didn’t turn from her scrutiny. Then her daughter nodded. “Treat my boy’s right, and we’ll be fine.” Ella’s eyes bored into hers. “Because they have already accepted you as Grandma. You fuck them over, whatever has happened with us in the past will look mild.” 

Before she could say anything, Ella continued. “I have never trusted you, in my entire life. But I am trusting you with my boys. For their sake, don’t prove me wrong.” She could feel the tears stinging her eyes as she saw the uncertainty in Ella’s eyes.

For a moment she didn’t say a word. Then she smiled at her daughter. “They are very easy boys to love.”

She relaxed as she saw Ella smile, she had said the right thing. Her daughter smiled a little more. “Yeah. They really are.”

The two of them sat in easy conversation until Filip and Jackson brought the boys up to say goodnight to their Mama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! I love hearing from you guys, so please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked that kudo button and taken the time to comment. You guys make a girl's day!


	88. Chapter Eighty-Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roosevelt pays a visit to the house with some information.
> 
> Not a lawyer or a cop. I just make them do what I want here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

As Chibs was tryin’ to get the lads wrangled to go say goodnight to their Mama, there was a knock at the door. Sam, who had been watching with amusement went to answer it. He could hear the older man’s Midwestern tones. “Sheriff, how are you this evening?”

Jackie and Gemma emerged from the kitchen where the lad had been packing up their girl’s laptop and notebooks. Jackie looked at Roosevelt. “What’s going on?”

Roosevelt looked at the boys, who were watching him carefully. “I need to speak with you and Chibs for a few minutes.” 

Roosevelt didn’t look too upset, but the man had a pretty good poker face. The three of them stepped out onto the front porch. He looked at the man. “What do ye need?”

Roosevelt gave a small smirk. “Thought you might like to know that Brent Mitchell was attacked at county earlier. He’s in the infirmary, not sure if he’ll make it. Feds are with him, taking all sorts of statements so they can still make their case.”

Jackie looked at Roosevelt, doing a fine job of acting surprised. “Who attacked him?”

At that the Sheriff chuckled. “Some other pedophile who was pissed the asshole was talking to the Feds.” The black man shrugged. 

He didn’t even bother with a comment. The fucking low life wasn’t worth the energy it would take to form the words. He looked over at Jackie, who had a slight frown on his face. The lad looked over at the Sheriff. “What does this do to the charges against Tara?”

He nodded, he had been thinking the same thing. Roosevelt shrugged. “DA is going forward.” Then he sighed. “But we may not be able to keep Thomas out of it.” Before either he or Jackie could say anything, Roosevelt raised his hand. “He’s looking into what the prick has already said to see what he can legally use. And the asshole did do you a bit of a favor.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Yeah, how’s that?”

Roosevelt smiled. It was an ugly, disgusted smile. “Took video of Tara all sorts of fucked up with Thomas trying to get her to make him something to eat, unsuccessfully. There are a few of them like that.” He had to give the man credit. He looked nearly as disturbed as he knew both he and Jackie felt. “The DA should be able to use those.”

He looked over at Jackie who looked like he wanted to be sick. He could understand, he felt much the same way. Jackie looked at the sheriff. “They still coming tomorrow to talk to Ella?”

The Sheriff nodded. “Yeah. It’ll be before noon, in case you want to keep Thomas away from the hospital for the morning. If he’s not there, they won’t be tempted to try and talk to him.”

He smiled a little at that. Roosevelt really didn’t like SAMCRO much, but he knew that the man did like their girl, would stop in at the shop and talk music with her. He looked over at Jackie. “Judith and Sam were talkin’ about takin’ the lad to the kid’s museum in Sac. Tomorrow might be a good day for it.”

Jackie nodded, then looked over at Roosevelt. “Anything else?” He sighed a little internally, this beyond fucked up mess was eatin’ at the lad. He was startin’ to keep shit in. When Tara first went to jail, right before their lass had graced Charming with her presence, things with the club had been, well, chaotic was as good a word as any. Jackie had done the same thing, and it had nearly torn the lad to pieces. It had taken nearly a year to get things calm, and a fractured club whole. 

Roosevelt shook his head. “No. I thought this was something you needed to know as soon as possible. I’ll let you get back to the boys, looked like you were getting them ready to go.”

Jackie nodded, smiling a little. “Time to go tell their Mama goodnight.” He felt a little better at the laugh that escaped the lad. “It’s kind of a long process, and that was before she woke up.”

The Sheriff nodded. “Then I’ll let you get to it. I’ll keep you informed.” The man turned and walked back to his car. After the man pulled out and the two of them could see his taillights, Jackie turned to him, a cold look on his face.

“In the morning let Hap know to call his girls. I’m not waitin’ on the courts for shit with Tara, this ends now. I won’t let them drag Thomas into this.” He watched as a couple of angry tears fell. “I couldn’t protect him from it then, but I can protect him from the aftermath.”

He nodded. It would keep the littlest Teller out of the hands of the authorities and the trauma that would come with them. “Aye.” He gave Jackie a cold smile. “I’m sure it will be a call he’ll be thrilled to make.” He put a hand on Jackie’s back. “Let’s go get the lads so they can go say goodnight.” He chuckled. “Ye know now that she’s up it’s gonna take twice as long.”

Jackie smiled a little. “Yeah.” Then he started to laugh. “Especially if Thomas comes up with anymore baby questions.”

He made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a groan. “Yeah. Think we’ll let Mama handle all baby related questions.” As they walked back in to get the lads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it! I love hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked that kudo button and taken the time to comment!


	89. Chapter Eighty-Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax and Chibs take the boys to say goodnight to Mama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

When they reached the hospital, Jax was surprised to see Twink waiting for them outside. Looking over at Chibs who was getting Thomas out of the car, he could see the man’s dark eyes grow darker.

As they walked up to the Englishman, Twink held his hands up. “Don’t panic, they just moved her off of the surgical floor to a different room. I’m just here to give directions.”

He felt a small flare of relief. Not only was there not another crisis, the fact they moved her showed she was getting better. He hadn’t truly realized until the last week how good the life he had now was and how important it was to him to keep it. He had been honest when he told Chibs a day or so earlier that for the moment the only thing he was going to worry about were the almost seven of them.

Looking over, he could see the same relief on Chibs’ face. Holding Thomas, Chibs looked at Twink. “Lead on.”

Holding Abel’s hand, he followed Twink and Chibs. As they walked through the hospital, he noticed they had moved her to the OB floor. He looked over at Chibs, who didn’t seem surprised. Chibs looked back to him. “Just to be on the safe side.”

He nodded as they reached the room that she had put in. He almost laughed as he could hear her complaining to someone. “I think if I want to eat solid food, I should be able to do that. I don’t like Jell-O and does broth actually have nutritional value?”

He looked down at Abel who had started to laugh. Little man looked up at him. “Whoever Mama is yelling at should just do what she says.” His son kept laughing. “She sounds just like when she wants me to clean my room and I don’t want to. But I end up doing it anyway.”

Chibs looked down at Abel. “They don’t know Mama the way we do lad.” The Scot chuckled. “They’ll learn soon enough that life works much easier if they just do as she says.” 

He chuckled a little at the truth in that last statement, it was never a pleasant experience to be on the wrong side of Ella and what she felt was right. He looked down at Abel. “Guess they’ll find out soon enough won’t they buddy?” Giving him a quick wink which made both boys giggle.

When Chibs opened the door, he heard his oldest son laugh outright at the look of consternation on the nurse’s face. The nurse looked over. “Mr. Telford will you please explain to your wife that there are reasons she is on a liquid diet?”

Chibs shook his head. “No. That’s between ye and her. Far as I’m concerned, if she thinks she can eat, may as well let her.” All of them noticed the Scot’s voice get harder. “She’s not stupid and wouldn’t be tryin’ to eat something like a steak.” He looked over at Ella. “What were ye wantin’ luv?”

Ella smiled at him and then looked at the nurse contemptuously. “Soup and toast. Preferably the Chicken Pot Pie soup from Hanna’s.”

Chibs looked at the nurse. “Don’t think that sounds unreasonable.” Chibs nodded at him while he pulled out his cel, placing the take out order. Chibs turned back to the nurse. “If there are any problems, we’ll take responsibility. Ye can go now.”

He smiled a little as Judith gave a sigh of relief and looked at Chibs. “Thank you. For some reason she really didn’t want to listen to either Ella or myself.” Judith looked at him. “Is Hanna’s the place just a couple blocks away?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Why?”

Judith smiled. “Be nice to take a little walk. I’ll go grab the soup for her.” Then the woman smiled. “Maybe get a cup of soup also, sounds good.”

Ella smiled widely at her mother. “Better than good, think Grandma MacDonald awesomeness.”

Her mother nodded. “Even better.” The woman looked at them. “I’m going to go get something to eat and then I’ll bring back her soup. I think I’ll stay up here tonight.” And goddamned if she didn't sound exactly like Ella when she wasn't going to be argued with.

Both he and Chibs looked to Ella who seemed fine with it. Maybe the boys had brought Ella and her Mom closer together. Because as far as he could see, Judith had taken to both boys, especially Thomas. And as far as he could see the feelings were mutual. Both Abel and Thomas seemed to like her a lot and neither boy had any issues with being alone with her. 

Chibs looked at him, his dark eyes planning something. And then he realized, Gemma had said she was going to spend the night at her house, spend some time with Nero, and Sam had very quietly said something about paying a visit to Diosa. He gave Chibs a slight smile. A house with no other adults. Could be promising.

Judith gave both boys hugs goodbye telling them she would see them when they came to see Mama before taking Abel to school. Chibs gave him a look, which he knew was about what Roosevelt had said. They weren’t going to let Thomas near the hospital in the morning.

He followed Judith out. She turned. “What is it Jackson?”

He made a decision that Chibs may not have been pleased with, but she had to know why it was so important to keep Thomas from the cops. He was pretty sure she wouldn't agree otherwise. He could tell she was getting fed up with not being totally informed. Another way her and her daughter were alike. “Thomas isn’t coming to the hospital in the morning. I know you and Sam wanted to take him to the children’s museum in Sac. Tomorrow morning is the time for that.”

She gave him a quizzical look. “Well, we were going to wait until Saturday so that both boys can go.”

He shrugged. “Then Abel can miss a day of school. But having something like that to do will be the only thing that would make Thomas be okay with not being here.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why is it so important that Thomas not be here in the morning?”

He looked at her, telling her the truth. “Because the DA’s investigators are going to come talk to Ella about what happened. We want to keep him away from them. He’s not ready to talk about what happened to him, and I am not going to let them traumatize him any more than he already is. Chibs agrees and I’m sure Ella will after we tell her.”

Judith nodded. “Yes, she will. And I do too. I don’t know what happened to Thomas, but whatever it was, I know the reaction my daughter had, and quite frankly I’m almost shocked that she hasn’t tried to end your ex-wife.”

He chuckled a little. “She did, when they first got here. Beat the hell out of her at the garage. Only reason Tara is still breathing is because Tig stopped her.” He shrugged. “There were customers on the lot, otherwise he might not have stopped it.” He frowned a little. “As a matter of fact I’m pretty positive that was the only reason Happy didn’t let her get his knife.” He was going to have to have a little talk with the guys and enabling Ella's temper.

He was surprised when Judith laughed. “I’m amazed she let them stop her.”

He gave her a mildly embarrassed grin. “Yeah. Well Tig had to tie her to a chair.”

Judith nodded, still laughing. “That explains the rope burns on her wrists. When I asked she waved me off, obviously embarrassed.”

He looked at her for a minute. Then laughed. “You should ask Abel about it. He loves the fact that his Uncle Tig managed to put his Mama in time out.”

She laughed even harder. “I’ll do that.” She patted his arm. “I’m going to go get food for myself and bring Ella hers. Suppose I should call Sam about the boys tomorrow.”

He shook his head. “Already knows. Said he was going out tonight, going to…” Then he realized he was talking to the man’s ex-wife. 

She stopped him. “Jackson. Sam hasn’t been able to keep it in his pants since after the kids were born. It’s who he is. And I’m only the first ex-wife, he’s got three others. Pat told me after the last one divorced him, Ella told him she’d kill him if he married again.” She chuckled. “My guess is that he’s spending the night at the escort house your mother’s boyfriend runs.” She shook her head. “Better that than finding another wife.” She patted his arm. “I appreciate you trying to spare me. I think if you brought the boys before eight that will still keep the investigators away from Thomas.” She laughed again. “Trust me civil servants are not going to show up before nine. I’ll see you all in the morning.”

He nodded. “Okay.” He was a bit speechless. Seemed like Ella was more like her mother than he realized. She saw things pretty clearly and was able to make a plan quickly.

She turned and walked down the hall towards the elevators. He stood there for a second, then turned to go back into Ella’s room.

Getting in there, he could see Ella reading the boys their bedtime book. When they were finished, he and Chibs started to get the boys ready to go home. When the boys were ready, Chibs looked at them. “Say goodnight to Mama lads, then while ye two and yer Da are getting to the car, I’m gonna talk to Mama for a minute.”

While the boys were saying a prolonged goodnight to their Mama, he pulled Chibs aside and quickly told him about his conversation with Judith. 

Chibs nodded. “Abel’s a good enough student it won’t hurt him to miss a day. I’m sure our girl will agree.” 

Once the boys were done, he ushered them out, telling Ella goodnight and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek since the boys were right there. Then looked at Abel thinking of what Judith had told him almost a day ago. Abel looked at him like nothing was out of the ordinary, as did Thomas. After things settled down and Ella’s parents were gone and Gemma wasn’t in and out constantly, the three of them were going to have to talk about how they were going to go from here.

He gave Ella a last wave as the door closed behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it. I love hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked the kudo button and have taken the time to comment.


	90. Chapter Eighty-Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chibs and Ella spend a moment together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Chibs watched Jackie and the lads leave, then sat on the bed with their girl. She laid her head on his shoulder. “What’s going on?”

He smiled a little. “Never could hide anything from ye luv.”

She took his hand in hers. “No, so spill.”

He chuckled a little. “Roosevelt came to the house. Some other pedophile attacked the bastard, probably won’t live. Feds are still talking to him. DA still plans to go ahead with the charges against Tara, so their investigators are gonna come talk to ye sometime before noon tomorrow. Roosevelt says they’re going to try to talk to Thomas.”

She squeezed his hand tighter. “No. They can talk to me all they want but they do not get anywhere near him. He’s not ready for that in any way, shape or form.”

He let go of her hand and rubbed her thigh. “We know luv. The plan is that yer Mum and Da take the lads to the children’s museum in Sac tomorrow morning. Abel can miss a day of school.”

He was almost surprised she agreed without hesitation. Almost. “Sounds like a plan.” She leaned into him. “Where’s Gemma and my Dad?”

He chuckled. “Gemma was going to spend the night at her house, with Nero. And well Sam…” He chuckled a little more.

She finished his sentence. “Is at Diosa for the night.” She laughed. “I’m amazed he waited this long.” She patted his leg. “You should get going. The boys need to go to bed.” She leaned in closer. “It’ll be good for you and Jackson to get a good night’s sleep.” Then gave him a sly smile. “Or something like that.”

He laughed a little as he put an arm around her. “We’ll try.” He gave her a kiss. “We’ll see ye in the morning luv.” He reluctantly got up from the bed. “If yer Mum starts to drive ye crazy, call and one of us will come get her.”

He smiled as she waved him off. “Nah, plan on sleeping after I eat. She’ll read, she won’t bother me.” Then gave him a cheeky grin. “Plus I bet she’ll even sneak me out for a cigarette.”

He was laughing as he got to the door. “Wouldn’t shock me in the least luv.” He turned back to her. “I love ye lass.”

She smiled, he hated that it was still full of pain. “I love you too Filip.” Her smile became wider. “Or wait, I should say Da.”

He had to admit, he liked the sound of that. “Ye can call me Da all ye want to luv.” He arched an eyebrow at her.

She laughed. “I’ll have to remember that. Now go, Da, all of my boys are needing to go to bed.”

“Aye.” He chuckled a little. “We’ll be back in the mornin’ luv.”

She waved him on. “Still not going anywhere. Go.”

He left the hospital room, leaning back on the closed door. He really didn’t want to leave her, but knew if he tried to stay, she’d be pissed. He knew she wanted him to make sure that Jackie and the boys were taken care of. As much as she loved Gem and her parents, she didn’t truly trust them the way she trusted him. He put a hand on her door for a moment, then walked away, doing what their girl wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! I love hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms!
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked that kudo button and have taken the time to comment!


	91. Chapter Ninety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax and Chibs get the boys home for bedtime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

When they got back to the house, it was odd that for the first time in a week that it was empty other than the four of them. Jax had almost gotten used to having his Mom, Sam and Judith there.

He and Chibs got Abel and Thomas into bed, his younger son wanting to sleep in ‘his room’ with his brother. While Thomas was still off due to the events of the last week, it seemed like he was starting to understand that he was here to stay and no one would be able to take him away again. He kissed Thomas on his head. “Night buddy, I love you.”

Thomas smiled sleepily, the prescription the doctor gave him kicking in. “Love you too Daddy.” His little smile widened. “I’m gonna be a big brother.”

He chuckled a little and patted his son’s leg. “Yeah, you are buddy.” He kissed Thomas again. “And you’ll be a great big brother.”

Thomas smiled as his eyes were closing. He sat there a minute, watching his boys sleep. The two of them were so excited at the prospect of new babies in the house. Abel was already thinking of names, and Thomas was just excited in general.

He got up and made his way to the kitchen to grab a beer. When he looked into the family room, Chibs wasn’t there. Looking out through the patio doors, he could see the flickers of the fire pit. When he got out there, he could see that Chibs had brought a bottle of Johnnie Walker with him. He sighed a little. He knew that the other man was not thrilled about being sent home.

He sat down on the futon that Ella had out there, next to Chibs. He took a long pull of his beer, staying silent. Sometimes it was better to let Chibs start the conversation, otherwise the Scot would turn taciturn.

Chibs took a sip from the bottle of whiskey. “Boys fall asleep?”

He nodded. “Yeah, gave Thomas the sleep aid the doctor wanted me to.” He shook his head, he still didn’t like it much. “Tomorrow night we’ll see how he does without it.”

Chibs nodded. “Yeah.” Taking another drink. “Think Mama being awake will help the lad.”

He looked at Chibs. “You okay?” He was a little worried, the last week had taken its toll on all of them.

The Scot chuckled a little. “Yeah.” Then he sighed. “It’s been a week, Jackie.”

He reached over and patted Chibs’ leg. “It has been.” He chuckled a little as he ran a hand over his beard. “Hopefully it’ll all calm back down soon. ‘Cause to be honest, I’m not sure how much more all of us can take.”

Chibs shrugged as he took another drink of the bourbon. “Wish I could tell ye Jackie.” He watched as Chibs put the bottle to his lips again, watching his Adam’s apple bob as he took another swallow. “As always, we’ll get through it together.” The Scot looked at him with dark eyes.

He swallowed, his throat suddenly thick. He was starting to feel the effects of the last week. From the age of sixteen he had gotten laid at least a few times a week, and with everything that had happened since Ella had gotten shot, sex had taken a back seat to the necessities of taking care of everything. Now sitting here, with Chibs, he wanted nothing more than to lose himself for an hour or two. Maybe he’d get a decent night’s sleep.

Seemed like Chibs had the same thought, because before he could say anything, Chibs had stood, looking down at him. “Let’s go upstairs Jackie.” The timbre of his voice heard only at times like this.

He nodded, getting up. “Let me check on the boys first.” Also thinking that the fire should be dealt with. He turned and started to head to the house.

Chibs smiled. “Probably not a bad idea.” Chibs reached down and picked up the bucket of dirt to throw on the fire to put it out, plunging the backyard into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it. I love hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms!
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked that kudo button and have taken the time to comment!!


	92. Chapter Ninety-One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chibs and jax have a little alone time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Chibs had stood there for a few minutes making sure the fire was out, then went inside. He smiled a little when he saw Jackie standing in the doorway to the boys’ room. He walked over, standing behind Jackie, close enough to feel the heat radiating from the younger man.

He smiled again as Jackie leaned back into him. He could see both boys were out hard, Pup and Winston keeping guard. He snaked an arm around Jackie’s waist, pulling him even closer. “Upstairs Jackie.” Murmuring low in the lad’s ear.

Jackie nodded and let him lead him upstairs. As soon as he got Jackie into the bedroom, he pushed him up against the closed door, ravaging Jackie’s lips. He could feel Jackie’s hands clutching at his t-shirt, a little desperate. Then again, he was a bit that way himself. With everything goin’ on, he’d barely had the time or the energy for even a wank. 

As he pressed into the lad, he could feel Jackie’s hard on press into his thigh. He stepped back, pulling his t-shirt off, takin’ in the hooded eyes, pupils blown to the point he could only see a sliver of blue. “Clothes off.” Jackie smiled at him with kiss swollen lips as the lad peeled his t-shirt off and stepped out of his jeans and boxers. Shedding the rest clothing, he pulled Jackie back to him, moving them towards the bed.

He stood at the foot of the bed as he watched Jackie crawl up it. As always, he marveled a little at the sheer physical beauty that was Jackson Teller. As he scanned up Jackie’s body and met the lad’s eyes, full of want and need, but waiting patiently, he felt that spark in his belly that seem to be directly connected to his cock. That two people like Ella and Jackie; ridiculously smart, headstrong, independent, control freaks; would just hand it all over to him? If just the thought of that didn’t make him as hard as diamonds, he needed to get his dick checked.

Tugging on his cock a couple of times to ease the pressure, he smiled as the tip of Jackie’s tongue subconsciously peeked out, wetting his lips. “Think ye can put that tongue to better use luv.” The tone of his voice letting the lad know this was no mere suggestion.

Jackie just smiled as he surged back up towards the foot of the bed where he was still standing. For a brief moment the lad looked up at him with a hint of summer blue sky showing in his eyes, and gave him a wide smile before swallowing him down to the root.

It took every ounce of concentration he had to remain upright at that little shock. Jackie usually like to start slow and work his way up to taking him all in, teasing him as much as he would allow.

For a minute he was so caught up in the surprise of the act that he’d nearly forgotten about what Jackie needed. He could feel the building frustration in the small noises coming from Jackie that were transmitting to his dick. Jackie always liked to play a little rougher than Ella did. 

Looking down at Jackie’s jaw open wide, eyes conveying need; he wrapped a hand in Jackie’s hair, tugging on it, pulling Jackie’s head to the optimal angle. As he did, he could feel Jackie’s jaw relax and the frustration leave his body as the lad readied himself.

Pulling his cock out of Jackie’s mouth just a little, he thrust back in quickly, starting to fuck Jackie’s mouth in earnest. As he built a rhythm, pulling out enough every once in a while so Jackie could breathe, it didn’t take long for him to come close to the edge.

Wrapping a hand around the base of his cock, he gave it a good squeeze to stave off his orgasm as he pulled out of Jackie’s mouth. “Hands and knees.” As Jackie arranged himself, he pulled lube and a condom out of the nightstand.

He took his time prepping Jackie, turning him into a writhing, needy mess before slipping the rubber on and sliding in. 

While he lost himself in the act, for just a moment he felt in total control, everything else that had been spinning around his head that he had no control over had gone quiet. As he thrust into Jackie’s willing body, he took his hand and started to run it up and down the lad’s cock in time with his strokes, making sure to hit Jackie’s sweet spot with every one of them.

He knew Jackie was close when the lad couldn’t hold himself up any longer. Feeling both Jackie’s cum spill over his hand and clench around his own cock, he came hard. Trying to catch his breath, he laid flat, resting his chest on the lad’s back. Once he was breathing somewhat close to normal, he pulled out of the lad, hearing Jackie give a slight whimper at the loss.

Removing the condom, he tied it off and threw it in the small waste bin by the bed. Pulling Jackie to him, he wrapped his arms around the lad, giving him a soft kiss. “Love ye Jackie.”

Jackie smiled up at him, sated and on the verge of sleep. “Love you too.” As Jackie nestled himself closer to him, the lad chuckled softly. “S’pose we should set the alarm so I can move downstairs before the boys wake up.”

Pulling the comforter up over the both of them, he smiled. “Aye, probably should.” Although he was thinking that he really did not want to. He wanted to have Jackie in with him until he woke, but knew it would confuse the boys.

Falling asleep he wondered if they would ever get to the point where the three of them wouldn’t have to hide in their own home. Maybe if they did, Jackie would get to the point where he’d stop with the croweaters and sweetbutts. The lad never seemed happy or satisfied when he was with them and if he were honest, both he and their girl hated it. They were both possessive, and Jackie was theirs as much as they were his. It was his hope that the babies may help the lad see the light as he finally fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! I love hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms!
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked that kudo button and have taken the time to comment!
> 
> P.S. I don't write porn well. Sorry.


	93. Chapter Ninety-Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judith gets back to the hospital and finds Tig visiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

When Judith got back from the diner, where to be honest, her daughter had been absolutely correct. The soup was as good as her mother’s; she heard voices coming from Ella’s room. 

Stopping at the door she could hear Tig’s voice. “Ya know doll, I can explain to Thomas the whole baby thing.”

She nearly laughed along with her daughter. “Yeah…no.” Her daughter’s laughter grew. “I think I’ll stick with the book. I don’t even want to think about what you might say to him.”

Tig’s voice was full of humor. “Well…I’d start out with it takes a Mama, and a Chibs, and a Jax…” She was a little surprised to hear one of the Sons actually voicing what was going on with the three of them, But considering who it was, she thought maybe she shouldn't have been.

Her daughter’s amused voice stopped him. “And gee…you wonder why I won’t let you.” Then her daughter’s voice turned serious. “But you can do one thing for me.”

Tig’s voice lost most of its humor, but none of its affection. “Just name it.”

Ella’s voice became soft. “Check in on Twink for me. I’m worried about him. He’s worried about everything and trying not to show it, trying to keep shit together for my sake.”

Judith smiled just a little. William was as important to her daughter as anyone other than Thomas and Abel. As far as Ella was concerned, William was her brother. Period. End of story. If she were honest with herself, she'd admit that she'd always been a little in awe of how her daughter could just take people to her heart and find them a place there.

Tig’s voice was soft also. “Yeah, I can do that for ya. If he’s not at the shop, I’ll check his house when I leave. I was going to anyway. You know the little English freak has grown on me.”

She decided standing outside the doorway was kind of silly, so she walked in. Tig was half lounging on the bed with her daughter, who had her laptop out, probably looking for the book she had promised Thomas.

Both of them looked up at her. Tig smiled at her. “Oh, hey. Heard ya went to get some real food to get into her.”

She nodded and held up the bag. “Soup, wheat toast, and Hanna also put in a piece of banana cream pie.” She looked at her daughter. “She said you like it.”

Ella smiled. “I do. But you can put it in that little fridge. I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat it tonight.”

She did as her daughter asked, then handed her the soup and toast, which Ella started to eat immediately. After she had finished the small cup of soup and the toast, Ella nudged Tig with her elbow. “Can you help me get out of bed? I can walk on my own, but getting in and out of this contraption, still need some help with.”

One of the things she had noticed since her daughter had woken was how everyone here just did as she asked. She had no idea if it was always like that, or if the current circumstance played a part.

Tig smiled at Ella. “Sure doll. Since you’re gonna be up, do ya want me to sneak ya out for a smoke? Won’t even tell Chibs or Jax.”

She laughed at that. Both Tig and Ella looked at her. She arched an eyebrow. “Do you think that either one of them would be shocked?”

Both of them began to chuckle, Tig answering. “No.” As he was helping Ella get out of bed. “They wouldn’t.”

She watched her daughter shuffle towards the bathroom, Tig on her heels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying it. I love hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked that kudo button and have taken the time to comment!


	94. Chapter Ninety-Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tig pays Twink a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

When Tig left the hospital after sneakin’ La out for her half a smoke, and makin’ plans to come back and pick her Mom up to take her back to the house for a shower and shit like that, he made good on his promise to the only woman he truly felt was a friend.

He drove by the shop and could see a faint light comin’ from the office that Twink and La shared. He sighed. Looked like Twink wasn’t goin’ home, again. Leah had told Waylon that Twink had pretty much only gone home to shower and change.

Using his key to the back door, he let himself in. He noticed that Twink hadn’t set the alarm. When he got to the office, he gently pushed the door open. Twink was sitting at the desk, a half bottle of scotch gone.

The man looked up at him with glazed eyes. “Alex, what brings you here this fine evening?” The man was pretty drunk.

He shrugged. “Wanted to make sure you’re okay.” It was obvious the man wasn’t.

Twink snorted. “In other words Eleanor wanted to make sure I was okay.”

He shrugged again. “She just asked me to do somethin’ I was already plannin’ on.” And he really had been, he hadn’t just been blowing smoke at La. It had become clear over the last day that the man hadn’t been holding up well.

Twink shook his head. “I’ll be fine Alex.” The man poured himself another drink. “My best friend. No, my sister, is laying in a hospital bed because some barmy, self-centered junkie decided saving her skin was more important than saving her son.” After he took a healthy swallow he continued. “I’ve grown used to the threat of violence that surrounds the life that Ella and I have made for ourselves here, but now, every minute I spend in this shop…” The man took another drink. “All I hear are gunshots.” Those cloudy green eyes met his. “I can’t get them to go away. There is no music loud enough, not enough liquor or smoke to drown them out.” Twink looked up at him, his voice nearly shaking. "And I can't seem to make myself leave."

He had heard enough. He walked around the desk and hauled the man up. “C’mon, let’s get you back to your place. That might help for starters.” He got Twink’s jacket and fished his car keys out of it. “Although you’re gonna have to bring me back here at about five forty-five in the morning so I can take Judith back to La’s so she can shower and shit like that.”

Twink nodded. “So that her and Sam can keep the lad away from the lawyers.”

He nodded. “Yeah. He’s not ready for that shit at all.”

Twink leaned into him. “I hate to say it, but the lad may never be. At least in any sort of time to help the authorities. Although I have the feeling that may not matter.”

He couldn’t disagree with the man and he wasn’t going to make him a co-conspirator. “It’ll shake out how it shakes out Will.” He started walking the man to the back door. “C’mon. I have the feeling sleeping in your own bed will be beneficial.” 

After he got the man out the door and got the alarm set, he locked up and got Twink into his car and drove him to his house, which used to be Ella’s. After getting him in the house, he got him back to his bedroom.

After getting him out of his clothes, he got him into bed. Twink watched him as he stripped out of his clothes down to his boxers and climbed into the bed. After getting in, he reached over and turned off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness.

He pulled the smaller man to him and wrapped his arms around him. He gave Twink a kiss on the head. “Get some sleep, that’s what ya need the most.”

The man nodded into his shoulder. “Thank you Alex.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. I hope you're enjoying it! I love hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms.
> 
> Thanks to those who have clicked that kudo button and taken the time to comment!


	95. Chapter Ninety-Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An early morning phone call and an early morning visitor for Chibs and Jax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Chibs could hear his cel ringing, he really wanted to ignore it. He was warm, he was comfortable. He opened one eye and looked at the clock on the night table. Four forty-five. Fuck. He grabbed the cel and looked at it. Ella. He smiled and answered. “What are ye doin’ awake luv?”

He could hear a soft chuckle. “Thought I would call to remind you two that Jackson should be moving to his room. I know you two, you’ll leave it until the last second.”

He could feel Jackie stirring. He looked down to see Jackie’s head moving from his shoulder and look up at him curiously. He mouthed ‘Ella’ to the lad, who smiled and laid his head back down on his shoulder and settled back into him.

He smiled. She wasn’t wrong, she knew he would keep Jackie up here with him as long as he could. “He’ll get down there. Did ye sleep at all luv?”

She sighed. “Yeah. And managed to find a book for Thomas, although Tiggy did offer to explain where babies come from to him.”

Keeping in mind that Jackie was tryin’ to sleep, he chuckled softly. “Please tell me ye told him no.”

“Of course I fucking did. Considering what his opening line was? You bet your ass I said no. Kid is already traumatized enough.” He could hear she was trying to be quiet also. “I love that man, but he is totally off his chair.” She sighed. “Get Jackson downstairs by five-thirty, okay? I’ll see you guys in a bit. Tig is coming about five forty-five to pick my Mom up so she can go back to the house and get a shower and stuff like that. Weirdly enough, they get along famously.”

He smiled. He didn’t find it weird. Her Mum was just enough like her that Tig would be all over it. He chuckled. “Maybe Tiggy has a little crush.”

“Oh please don’t say that.” She laughed. “Great, now I have that visual in my head. Thanks. Now instead of going back to sleep I’m going to lay here and plot my revenge on you.” 

He smiled again. “Well I’ll be waitin’ to see what ye come up with. Rest luv, we’ll see you in a couple of hours. Love ye.”

“Love you too. Give Jackson a kiss for me. I’ll see all of you later.” She hung up.

Jackie’s sleepy voice broke into his thoughts. “She okay?”

He placed a small kiss on the lad’s lips. “Yeah, just wanted to remind us ye need to move downstairs by five-thirty.” He gave the lad a deeper kiss. “And I’m supposed to give ye that.” He could feel Jackie’s erection press into his own as the lad’s lips made their way to his neck.

Mindful of the fact that Thomas seemed to be an early riser, it took every ounce of self-control he had to push Jackie away. “Thomas will be up soon Jackie. Don’t want the lad to freak out.”

Jackie sighed as he rolled away. “Yeah.”

He felt bad, he knew that he’d hurt Jackie’s feelings when he’d pushed him away. He reached out and grabbed Jackie’s wrist and pulled him back to him. “Didn’t say I didn’t want to Jackie. Sam and Judith will be gone all day with the boys, I’m sure we can sneak back here later. Have the whole house to ourselves.” He gave Jackie a fierce kiss. “Now get yer ass downstairs before I change my mind and we manage to have an audience we don’t want.”

He knew Jackie’s hurt feelings were assuaged when the lad chuckled as he climbed out of the bed. “Yes sir.” Then Jackie threw his boxers at him. “If you’re that worried, you should probably get those on.”

He chuckled as he put the boxers back on. As Jackie was getting into his, there was a small knock at the door and Thomas’ little voice. “Daddy, Uncle Chibs?”

He arched an eyebrow at Jackie in an ‘I told ye so’ fashion. “Come on in lad.” Thomas slipped into the room and after giving his Da a hug, the lad slipped into the bed and found a spot next to him.

He pulled the lad into a hug. “Ye okay lad?”

Thomas nodded groggily into his shoulder. “Still sleepy.” Then Thomas raised his head and looked at his Da. “Why are you up Daddy? Did you have a bad dream?” 

Jackie sat down next to the lad. “No buddy. I was just…” Jackie’s voice trailed off. He could see the uncertainty in Jackie’s eyes. He could relate. How do ye explain the situation to the lad without triggering a freak out because of what that bastard had done to the lad?

Thomas laid back down by him, snuggling in. The lad looked back up at his Da. Jackie smiled at Thomas and got back into the bed. “Did you look for me in my room buddy?”

The lad shook his head tiredly. “No, because you sleep up here.”

Jackie tried prevaricating with the lad. “That’s just because Grandma was using my room while Mama is in the hospital. And Papa Sam and Grandma Judith are using the other rooms.”

He was curious when Thomas shook his head a little. “Abel says you sleep up here with Mama and Uncle Chibs all the time.” Thomas’ voice was matter of fact and not freaked out at all. 

He had to admit his slight surprise when Jackie continued his gentle questioning of the lad. “What else does your brother say?”

“That Mama loves all of us, and we’re lucky because we have two daddies that love us and keep us safe.” The lad’s voice was starting to drift back into sleep.

He smiled as Jackie pressed a kiss into the lad’s head. “Your brother’s right. All of us love you and your brother, and would do anything to keep you safe.”

As Thomas’ eyes were closing, the lad smiled. “And the new babies too.”

He gave the lad a small squeeze. “And the new babies too.” He watched as the lad seemed to fall back asleep. 

He looked over at Jackie who was looking at him with an odd look. “What is it Jackie?”

Jackie chuckled softly. “The three of us thought we were keeping everything on the down low, and obviously we did a pretty crap job of it. As far as I can tell everyone has figured it out.”

He reached over and ran his hand down Jackie’s side. “Stop thinking Jackie and go back to sleep for a bit. We’ll get it all figured out after our girl gets home.”

After Jackie fell back to sleep, he laid there, looking up at the ceiling, thinking about what Thomas had said. He was happy that both boys seemed to find the situation normal for them. He knew that Abel was more than likely aware of how not normal their living situation was, but it didn’t seem to bother him and by extension, Thomas.

“Uncle Chibs?” Thomas’ soft voice broke into his thoughts.

“What lad?” He kept his voice low as to not wake Jackie up.

“You love Mama.” The lad made the statement like he was commenting on the sun rising.

He smiled. “Aye, lad. That I do.” So far, this was pretty easy, but he had a feeling it wasn’t going to stay that way.

“And you love my Daddy?” Even though Thomas phrased it as a question, he could hear the certainty in the lad’s voice.

“Aye, I love your Da too.” He figured it would be best to tell the lad the truth. With everything the lad had been through, lies would just break the trust the lad had in them. He would rather eat a gun than hurt Thomas any further.

When Thomas didn’t reply, he looked down, expecting to see that the lad had fallen back to sleep. But Thomas was studying him. “Like you love Mama.”

He stared down at the lad. Thomas’ face was serious. Even though he had known this was building to something even more important, he couldn’t help it when he felt the corners of his mouth quirk up as he realized Jackie had woken and was feigning sleep. “What makes ye say that?”

“You look at Daddy the same way you look at Mama.” The lad’s voice got smaller and more tentative. “You and Daddy touch each other like you touch Mama.” The last part was nearly a whisper.

He pushed the sense of panic that was starting to build back down. He really wasn’t equipped to deal with this at all. But he couldn’t leave the lad hanging. Somehow Thomas had decided that he was the one that would take the burdens from the boy’s mind. “Aye.” He was going to let Thomas drive this conversation. No need to put thoughts in the lad’s head.

He could also feel Jackie holding his breath. With his free arm, he reached over and put a hand in Jackie’s hair, trying to get him to relax.

“But not me and Abel.” His heart went to his throat at the mix of emotions in the lad’s voice. The wariness and the hope. He kept his eyes on Thomas, who was choosing to look at the tattoo on his chest. He didn’t even have to look at Jackie to know that tears were falling.

“Never.” While trying to keep his voice calm, he hoped Thomas could hear the finality in his voice. That he had conveyed the fact that the lad’s nightmare was really over. 

“Then why…?” Thomas’ whisper was heartbreaking with its sense of betrayal, hurt and anger. He could feel his eyes clouding with tears as he cursed the fact that anyone had to have conversations like this with kids, ever.

He glanced over at Jackie whose eyes were still closed, but he could see how his jaw was clenched, trying to keep his composure. He looked back down at Thomas who was now staring up at him. He had no real answer for the lad and hoped the one he was about to give would suffice for the moment. “I really don’t know Thomas. He was a bad man who had something very wrong with him to think that kind of thing was okay at all.” He let go of an unhappy sigh that may have sounded a great deal like a small sob. “What that man did to ye was wrong, and in no way are ye at fault lad. Ye did what ye had to do to survive.”

“Why did my Mommy let him do that?” The lad’s voice was still a whisper, like the low volume makes it easier to say, easier to hear. 

“That one I really don’t have an answer for ye lad, not at all.” And he didn’t. Because the woman who gave birth to Thomas was not the same one that had returned to Charming. He may hate her now, but at one time he had liked Tara a great deal and thought her and Jackie were good together.

“Mama wouldn’t let that happen to us would she.” He gave the lad a smile. Thomas’ voice was confident in that statement. 

“No lad, I think Mama already proved herself on that. As silly as she can be sometimes, she takes that whole bein’ a Mama thing pretty seriously.” Smoothing down Thomas’ bed head. “So do yer Da and myself.” Seeing he had the lad’s full attention, he continued quietly. “There is nothing more important to me, yer Da and yer Mama than ye and yer brother.” He chuckled a little as he cut the lad off before he could open his mouth to protest. “And unborn siblings.” Smiling at Thomas’ satisfied nod. “Absolutely nothing is as important to us.”

“Not even SAMCRO?” He had a feeling that was Tara talking. He shouldn’t have been surprised, he was sure Tara had nothing good to say about the club.

He shook his head. “Lad, SAMCRO is part of our family. But, no, not even SAMCRO is more important to us than ye kids.” 

Thomas laid there, between him and Jackie, not saying anything, but he could feel the lad breathing. He stayed silent, giving Thomas the time he needed.

“He said bad things about SAMCRO.” There was no need to ask who the ‘he’ was. The lad’s voice became even softer. “Bad things about Daddy.”

He gritted his teeth for a moment, trying to find some sort of answer for the lad that made sense. And didn’t involve a laundry list of swear words. “I’m sure he did lad.” He closed his eyes, once again wishing Ella was there. He was pretty sure that she would know what to say to the lad.

“He’s a liar isn’t he?” He was a little surprised to hear the steel in Thomas’ voice. Seemed the lad came to some conclusions on his own and as they were finding out, Thomas was really bright and very perceptive, so the little lad's conclusions were pretty accurate.

“Aye lad, he is a liar.” He shifted onto his side so he could look at Thomas who was staring up at the ceiling. Jackie was still feigning sleep, but he could see the tension still in his jaw, the slight tremors in his shoulders. “He said bad things about yer Da and SAMCRO because it made him feel good to make ye feel bad.” He sighed, looking at the boy. “Thomas lad, he is a bad man who did bad things to ye because he wanted to, and part of that was makin’ ye believe that yer Da didn’t care about ye or want ye to be with us. But yer Da and yer Mama never stopped lookin’ for ye, not for one minute.” He sighed again. This conversation was takin’ a toll on him. “I wish I could tell ye why he did all that to ye lad, but I can’t. Because what he did…” He shook his head. “No adult should treat a little one like the way he treated ye.” He looked hard into Thomas’ blue eyes. “Never.”

The lad laid there, studying his face, then slowly nodded. “And I never have to go back there right?”

Jackie stopped pretendin’ and cut in. “No buddy, you never have to go back there. When Mama is better, we’ll have to go to a place where a man will ask you if you want to stay with me and if you want Mama to be your Mama for the rest of your life.”

Thomas turned to look at his Da. “I do! I don’t ever want to leave.”

He smiled a little as Jackie wrapped the lad up in a hug. “Then that’s what’s gonna happen buddy.” Jackie gave Thomas a kiss on the head. “Now why don’t you try to go to back sleep for a little bit, you and Abel are gonna have a busy day with Papa and Grandma Judy.”

Jackie looked at him over Thomas’ head and he smiled in return. The small crisis had passed and they’d managed it without sending Thomas into a tailspin. Without Ella. Maybe he was cut out for fatherhood after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns. or constructive criticisms. I love hearing from you guys!
> 
> Thanks to all who have clicked that kudo button and taken the time to comment!


	96. Chapter Ninety-Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas can't go back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> This chapter is from Thomas POV.

Thomas closed his eyes, but he wasn't going to go back to sleep. He wasn't really that sleepy anymore, but liked lying between his daddies. He knew that when they were all awake he would have to call Uncle Chibs, Uncle Chibs, but here in his mind they were both just daddy.

When his mommy had taken him away and they were in that awful place with 'him', he'd had a lot of time to himself when his mommy would take her pills or sniff the powder that made her sleepy and she would ignore him. He would watch the TV and even though 'he' said what 'he' wanted him to do was okay, he knew it wasn't. He'd seen mommies and daddies kissing on TV, even daddies and daddies or mommies and mommies. But no mommies or daddies with kids. And here, Mama and Daddies gave him hugs, and if they did kiss him, it was on his head or his cheek.

“You’re not sleepin’, are you bud?” Daddy’s voice was quiet, so that Daddy Chibs wouldn’t wake up.

He opened his eyes as he shook his head, a little afraid to look at his Daddy. But when he did, Daddy was just smiling at him. He knows he shouldn’t have been worried, but sometimes he still did. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe he would ask Mama. He was pretty sure she would know. Even though Daddy Chibs said Mama didn’t know everything, he was pretty sure she did.

“You hungry bud?” He nodded, even though he really wasn’t that hungry. He had overheard Grandma and Papa Sam talking about how thin he was, and that seemed to make them sad, so he always said yes when anyone asked him if he was hungry. 

“Well, let’s go get you something to eat and let Uncle Chibs sleep a little longer.” Daddy got out of the bed and held his hand out to help him out of bed.

“Need to be up no later than six-thirty Jackie.” He looked over and saw that Daddy Chibs was rolling over and pulling the covers up over his head.

Daddy looked at Daddy Chibs and then down at him and smiled big. He really liked to see his Daddy smile like that. “We’ll make sure you’re up.”

He held on to Daddy’s hand as they went downstairs. When they got to the kitchen, Daddy poured him a glass of juice and then hit the button on the machine that made coffee for the grown-ups. “Why don’t you start with this while I go put some clothes on, ‘kay?”

He nodded as he took a sip of the juice. He had tried the grape juice that Abel hadn’t liked at the hospital where Mama is and he had really liked it. So Grandma Gemma had gotten him some. He was very happy that Daddy remembered he liked it.

By the time Daddy came back he had finished his juice. “What are you hungry for bud?”

He shrugged because he really wasn’t hungry. He was, a little, but he had never seen Daddy or Uncle Chibs cook so he wasn’t sure if Daddy could make him oatmeal.

Daddy laughed a little. “The juice did you up right, huh?”

He looked up at his Daddy, a little confused. Daddy must have guessed that he wasn’t understanding; because Daddy just laughed again and patted his back. “The juice filled you up so you’re not hungry anymore?”

He nodded. But he still felt bad that Daddy had gotten up. “I’m sorry.”

Daddy shook his head like he was a little sad. All of the grown-ups did that around him. He kept trying to say he was sorry but they all kept telling him it wasn’t his fault. But he didn’t understand, if they were sad because of him wasn’t it his fault? He would ask Mama about that too.

“No reason to be sorry Thomas.” Daddy smiled at him and he felt a little better. “Since we’re up, what do you want to do?”

He thought for a minute. He hadn’t spent a lot of time with his Daddy, just the two of them, so he wasn’t sure what Daddy liked to do. “Can we go outside?” He liked being outside. When he had been with his Mommy in the bad place, he hadn’t gotten to go outside very often. The bad man told Mommy that if they went outside a lot Daddy would find them and hurt them.

But Daddy Chibs told him the bad man was a liar and that Daddy would have helped him get away from the bad man just like Mama did when she got hurt. And Daddy Chibs never lied to him. Daddy Chibs had even told him that Daddy Chibs loved Daddy just like he loved Mama. He could tell that wasn’t something Daddy Chibs told just anybody. That it was kind of a secret.

Daddy smiled at him again. “Sure we can. Any idea on what you want to do outside?”

He frowned a little. He hadn’t really wanted to do anything. He just wanted to sit outside with his Daddy. “No.”

“That’s okay bud. We can just sit outside and watch the sun come up. How does that sound?” Daddy was smiling still, so he must not be in trouble for not wanting to do anything.

“Do you want to do that?” He wanted to make sure that he wasn’t going to be in trouble.

But Daddy just smiled at him again. “I really do.” Daddy patted his shoulder. “Let’s get some more juice for you and some coffee for me, and we’ll go sit out and watch the sun come up.” 

After Daddy had gotten coffee and more juice for him, they went out to what the grown-ups called the patio and after Daddy put their cups on the table, Daddy sat down and pulled him up onto his lap. He settled in and the two of them just sat there, every once in a while taking drinks from their cups and watched as it went from dark to light. He felt good sitting there with his Daddy in the quiet.

After a bit, they both heard someone come in the house. For a minute Daddy seemed like he was gonna get mad, but then he heard Uncle Tig and Nana Judy and sat back in the chair. Daddy smiled at him. It was kind of a funny smile. Like something was funny, but not really funny. “Looks like our quiet time is over bud.”

He thought he understood. Sometimes Daddy just liked to sit and think too. He gave his Daddy a hug. “Thank you.”

He thought Daddy would tell him what he always did. That he didn’t need to thank them for doing what they were supposed to. Instead, Daddy just kissed him on his forehead. “You’re welcome, buddy.” 

Then Daddy stood up with him still in his Daddy’s arms. “Should we go say Good Morning to Uncle Tig and Nana Judy? Start our day?” He nodded and Daddy smiled wider.

“Sounds like a plan, bud.” And he and Daddy went into the house to start the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it. I love, love, LOVE hearing from you guys, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms!
> 
> Thanks to those who have clicked that kudo button and taken the time to leave a comment!


	97. Chapter Ninety-Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting the day started and getting the boys to Mama before civil servants arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Jax had been really enjoying just sitting out on the patio watching the sunrise with Thomas. He really hadn’t spent any one on one time with his youngest since Thomas had been back. It was kind of understandable with everything that had happened, but he still felt bad that it hadn’t happened yet.

Thomas seemed to be enjoying the quiet time also. The little guy seemed pretty content to just sit and watch the colors of the sky change from dark to light.

As they were sitting in the quiet, he heard the front door knob rattle. He tensed until he heard Tig and Judith in the front room, trying to be quiet. Sitting back, he gave his son a rueful smile. “Looks like our quiet time is over bud.” He sighed just a little.

Thomas gave him a hug. “Thank you.”

Normally he would have told Thomas not to worry about it, he was only doing what he was supposed to. But he thought he understood where Thomas was coming from, so he just gave him a quick kiss on Thomas’s forehead. “You’re welcome, buddy.”

With Thomas still in his arms, he stood up, giving his son a small smile. “Should we go say Good Morning to Uncle Tig and Nana Judy? Start our day?” While he didn’t say anything, Thomas did nod with a smile.

He grinned at his son. “Sounds like a plan, bud.” Taking Thomas into the house. 

Getting inside, he’d like to say he was shocked at how well Tig seemed to get along with Judith. But he wasn’t. He would never say it to either Tig or Ella, but Chibs may have been on the nose with the ‘little crush’ comment he’d made to Ella this morning. 

He also wasn’t surprised when Thomas started to squirm in his arms, the universal signal to be let down. Smiling, he set his son down and watched the boy race over to Judith. Both boys adored her, but she was certainly one of Thomas’s favorite humans. He was just happy that whatever long standing animosity that Ella and Judith had between them had been set aside for the boys. The fact that Ella would do it was a no brainer. He was pretty sure getting shot twice proved how far she’d go for her boys. But from what little he’d been told about Judith, he was a lot surprised to see her assimilating to the life her daughter had built in Charming with the ease she seemed to be doing it with.

“Well, look who’s up early.” Judith gave him a questioning smile as she released Thomas from the hug she was giving him.

But Thomas just beamed at her. “Me and Daddy were watching the sun come up, an’ I was drinking juice an’ Daddy was drinking coffee.” As his son was trying to climb Tig.

Tig swung Thomas up and gave him a hug before setting him back down. “Sounds good bud. Sorry we cut that short.” Tig shot him an apologetic look.

“That’s okay.” He looked over at the clock on the microwave. Six-twenty. “It’s about time to start rousting Abel and Chibs.” He grinned down at Thomas. “Go wake your brother up and tell him that you two need to wake Uncle Chibs up.” He was still grinning at his son, as both Tig and Judith started to snicker a little. “Your brother will tell you what to do.”

A couple of minutes after Thomas went to go get Abel up, both boys were back out, Abel in the lead. “Really Dad?” Asked with more than a little excitement.

Nodding to his oldest son, he smiled. “Really, bud.” Glancing over at Tig and Judith who had poured themselves cups of coffee.

Abel took Thomas’s hand and nearly dragged his little brother up the stairs. A moment later he heard Abel’s voice. “Dad. The door is locked.” Abel sounded confused, which wasn’t surprising, the bedroom door was never locked. Then he heard it; the tell-tale sound of water running. Chibs was taking a shower.

His heart went into his throat. In a good way. Chibs was keeping in mind the raft of evil shit that Thomas had been through, and knowing that he’d probably send the boys to make sure the Scot was awake, Chibs had locked the door. He hadn’t wanted frighten Thomas. 

He walked upstairs to see Abel and Thomas standing at the bedroom door, both looking confused as hell. He motioned the boys back downstairs. “Looks like Uncle Chibs is already up and in the shower. Why don’t we go downstairs and get you two dressed. After that we can get some breakfast. Uncle Chibs will be down by then.” Looking back at the locked door with a slight smile on his face before following his boys back down to the main floor.

The boys had veered off into their room to get dressed. Abel was fine on his own, but he stuck his head in the door and looked at Thomas. “Need any help buddy?” Thomas shook his head happily. “Okay. I’ll be out in the kitchen. Grandma Gemma should be here anytime.” Heading back to the kitchen and the pot of coffee he had put on earlier. He needed it. It really felt like he hadn’t slept much at all in the week that Thomas had been back and he was starting to notice. As sad as it was to think it; if he could steal away for a few hours while everyone was out of the house, getting laid wasn’t his priority. Getting some damn sleep was.

By the time the boys emerged from dressing and he fixed Thomas’s shirts, both Sam and his Mom had shown up. He had to admit he was impressed that Sam showed no embarrassment to where he’d spent the night and Judith seemed to not give a rat’s ass where her ex had been. Downing the last of her coffee, Judith stood from the breakfast nook. “While you all are getting the boys fed, I’ll get go shower and change. I should be ready by the time you’ve got breakfast into them.” She gave both boys pats on the shoulder as she walked by them to go up to the guestroom she was using.

Tig set his mug in the sink. “I should get goin’. Twink let me use his car to pick Judy up, I should get it back to him.” He gave the boys a wave, then was gone.

His mom glanced over to Sam, who smiled. “I should probably follow her lead.” Then ambled off behind his ex-wife.

His mom raised an eyebrow at him. “I know they’re exes and all, but I don’t know that I’d be that serene about the fact that my ex just spent the night in a…” His mom looked at the boys.

“They’ve been divorced three times as long as they were married.” Chibs voice was filled with humor. Then lowering his voice so the boys couldn’t hear him. “I doubt it even phased her. Sam’s been a cockhound since they were married.”

His mother shook her head with a wry smile. “The middle class version of ‘what happens on a run stays on a run’.” His mom smiled brighter. “I’m really starting to like her some.”

Chibs shrugged. Even with everyone else coming around, Chibs would follow Ella’s lead. Be cordial, be kind, and keep her at arms-length. Chibs glanced over at the boys who were eating the oatmeal that his Mom had made. “The lads love her, guess that’s all that matters.”

He nodded his head, in the end, he couldn’t disagree. “Yeah, they do and she’s good with them.” He shot Chibs a slightly apologetic look. “And I gotta go with Mom, I’m starting to like her too.”

Chibs shook his head with a slight smile. “And ye both should.” Chibs looked at the lads again. “We’ll see what happens when things settle back down.” He nodded his agreement.

His Mom looked at Chibs with a guffaw. “La’s pregnant with twins. There isn’t gonna be a settled back down for a few years at least.” His Mom walked out to the patio still laughing at the two of them.

Chibs looked at him with a grin. “She may have a point Jackie.” 

“Yeah, she might at that.” He grinned back at Chibs, who he had to admit, anytime the babies were mentioned, lit up like a Christmas tree. Then again, he probably did too. He was with Chibs, it really did not matter at fucking all who the father was, the babies would be theirs. 

By the time the boys had finished breakfast, both Judy and Sam had come back down, both dressed for a day of being dragged through the children’s museum. He looked at Sam, and then tossed the keys to the Rover at him. “All four of you are not fitting in the Aston.”

Sam gave a wry grin. “Too bad. I do love that car.” He smiled back, because every time Sam had come to visit he had snatched the Aston to use instead of a rental.

Judy just gave Sam a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “I think you’ll live.” Walking off to talk to his Mom about what the boys should take with them.

After gathering everyone up, which was a chore in its self, they were making their way to the hospital.

As they were walking up to the entrance, Cynda was coming out. Abel ran right to her and gave her a hug. Thomas hung back, holding Judy’s hand. Cynda gave Abel a kiss on the cheek. “You ready for the children’s museum? Mama told me you were going today.” Cynda smiled at him and Chibs. “Came up to help La get a shower in. Get some make-up on. She said she wanted to look human for…” Cynda looked at the boys unsure if she should go on.

Chibs smiled at her. “That’s all right sweetheart.” Then the smile dimmed a little. “How’d she do?”

“Fine. They took the IV out this morning. Once we got the bandages covered, she did everything on her own. I was just there for back-up if she needed it.” Cynda looked happy to be able to give some good news. “But I need to get moving, the midgets will be up anytime and Ben will give them pure sugar if I’m not there.” She rolled her eyes. “He gets to leave; I’m stuck with two wired up jackrabbits.” She grinned.

They said good-bye to Cynda and made their way to Ella’s room. Once again they could hear her arguing with someone. After a minute he realized she wasn’t arguing with anyone, she was bitching at the television. He wanted to laugh. If he had to pinpoint one of the things that made him fall in love with her, as stupid as it sounded, the fact that to Ella, watching TV was in interactive thing, was one of them.

He felt Abel tug on his hand. He looked down to see Abel grinning up at him. “Mama’s talking to the TV again.” Abel sounded pretty damn happy about that. But to Abel that was a sign that Mama was getting better.

The adults in the room laughed, Judy laughing the hardest. When she was done, she wiped her eyes a little. “She still does that?” Then laughed again when Abel nodded to her.

When Chibs pushed the door open, Ella was sitting up in bed, reading the paper and looking far more like herself than she had. She looked up from the paper at the lot of them. “Morning.” 

Both boys immediately ran for her bed and climbed up. He could see her flinch minutely a couple of times, but not enough to cause concern. Once both boys were up with her, and had gotten Mama hugs and kisses, Abel told her about the locked bedroom door. She looked at Chibs, question in her eyes.

Chibs gave her a look that said he’d tell her about it later. Then smiled at the boys. “Sorry to spoil yer fun lads. Hadn’t realized I’d locked it.” Which to a seven and four-year-old seemed plausible.

Ella hugged Abel to her. “You can always launch a tickle attack another time honey.” Ella grinned at Chibs. “Uncle Chibs will need to be rousted out of bed again soon enough.”

Ella gave Thomas a kiss on the head. “How was your morning?”

Thomas launched into telling her about watching the sunrise with him, and how Grandma Judy and Uncle Tig came over, and that Grandma Gemma made them oatmeal and that Papa Sam liked her little car better than the big one.

Ella looked up and him and Chibs with surprise in her eyes. Thomas had just spoken the most he had in one go since he’d been back. Chibs shot her the ‘later’ look again, and she nodded. Smiling over to Thomas. “Sounds like you had a pretty good morning honey.”

Thomas snuggled into her side, somehow knowing to be careful. “Yeah.”

He noticed Judith looking at the clock. It was a little after eight. He walked over to her. “Everything okay?” In a low voice.

“We should get going soon if we want to avoid the DA’s investigators.” Said just as quietly, just loud enough for him and Sam to hear.

Sam patted Judy’s arm, then looked over at the boys. “Time to say good-bye to Mama boys. Papa needs a real breakfast, and didn’t you guys say you wanted to be the first in the museum?” Abel nodded vigorously. He smiled. Sam and Abel had done this outing more than once. Abel loved the museum and Sam loved seeing Abel smile, so it worked out well for both of them. 

Ella gave both boys hugs and kisses. “You have fun with Papa and Grandma Judy. Be good and listen to what they tell you. I’ll see you later and you guys can tell me all about it.”

Both Judy and Sam held up their smartphones. Sam smiling at his daughter. “We’re grandparents Sis, there will probably be more pictures than you want to look at.” Sam patted her foot.

Ella made a shocked face at him. “More pictures than I want to look at?!” She grinned at the boys. “Not possible.” She gave the boys last hugs and kisses before they crawled down.

After Abel and Thomas had given him, Chibs and his Mom good-bye hugs and kisses; Ella looked at him and Chibs. “So what the hell happened?” She wasn’t upset, just curious. “Thomas seems to be…” She shook her head in wonder. “A hell of a lot better.”

As Chibs was getting ready to open his mouth to tell her about Thomas’s early morning talk, the doctor came in. “Ah, Ms. Kinloch.” The doctor looked at the rest of them and nodded. “There are some people outside who would like to speak with you.” The doctor smiled at her. “I told them they would have to wait until I was finished with you.” The doctor looked at all of them again. They got the hint.

He looked at Ella. “Me and Mom are gonna go grab a cup of coffee, we’ll be back up in a bit.” Then looking to Chibs. “You stayin’?” Knowing the answer already.

“Aye.” Chibs looked at the doctor who nodded that it was okay. “I’ll let ya know when the Doc is done.” Chibs looked directly at him. “Ye should be here for the lawyers.” Ella nodded her agreement.

“Yeah, okay.” He took his mother’s elbow and escorted her from the room.

When they were in the hallway, his Mom turned to him. “I gotta go with La, what the hell happened this morning?”

He shrugged, not really knowing how to explain it. “Thomas needed some questions answered and Chibs gave answers that made sense to Thomas.” His Mom went to open her mouth. “Thomas asked Chibs.” He sighed. “Not me, and I gotta admit, I think Chibs handled it far better than I would have.”

His mother nodded. “You’re closer to the situation than Chibs is, even if not by much.” His mom raised an eyebrow. “And I’m pretty sure that Thomas has figured out when Chibs is talkin’, he’s probably sayin’ what La would want him to say.” She smiled. “You’d go off script.”

He chuckled a little. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” He started walking towards the elevator. “Let’s go get some coffee and wait for Chibs to text me.”

His mother nodded and followed him to the elevators. As they were descending, he thought about what his mother had said. He hadn’t been very good at hiding his anger about the entire situation, so no wonder Thomas had wanted Chibs.

He was gonna have to do a better job at hiding that anger or figure out a way to let it go entirely, because he sure as hell knew that he didn’t want his anger to affect his son. Or the way his son thought of him. 

He’d talk to Ella and Chibs about it later. After the lawyers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms. I love hearing from you guys!
> 
> Thanks to all of those who have clicked that kudo button and that have taken the time to comment! They are much appreciated.


	98. Chapter Ninety-Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ella talks to the DA's investigators. It's not a love-fest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> I am NOT a cop, doctor, or a lawyer. I just make them do what I want them to here.

Ella looked up at the doctor after Jax and Gemma left the room. “So, you’re here to tell me I can go home today? Right?”

She could see Filip bristle a little out of the corner of her eye. She knew he’d argue that she was not ready yet, needed at least a few more days of rest in the hospital where there were professionals to keep an eye on her. 

But she was bored silly and as far as she was concerned could rest just as easily at home than she could here. First of all, it was never completely dark, the best she could hope for was kind of a weird dusk type lighting. Second, it was a hospital bed. ‘Nuff said.

Dr. Clarke, who was shorter and rounder than Bobby, shook his head. “Not today.” As he came over and lifted the blanket and pulled up one side of the t-shirt she had been using as pajamas. “Although if this is progressing the way it has been; I don’t see why you can’t be home in time for the weekend.”

“Ye sure ‘bout that Doc?” She rolled her eyes a little at Filip’s mother-henning. 

Thank all the Gods in the universe when the doctor had her back. “Very.” Dr. Clarke lifted the dressing. “There’s no signs of infection, the incisions are healing nicely.” Dr. Clarke looked up to Filip. “No reason we can’t spring her Friday sometime.” Yes! She had a date to get out of this place.

Then of course the doctor had to go and ruin it for her. “Of course, she’ll have to be on bed rest for the first few days. We’ll go over everything before we release her.” Talking about her like she was still sedated. Yeah…no.

“Hi. My name is Ella Kinloch and the last time I checked, I was in this bed and not him.” She looked over to Filip and then back to the doctor. “You can talk to me.” The doctor looked properly chagrined. Filip on the other hand…

“Yeah, she’s fine to go home.” Filip chuckled, then looked at her. “No need for the claws luv.”

Dr. Clarke looked at her. “So, you’ll have to be on bed rest for a bit and then take it slow from there.” He smiled. “And then whatever orders Dr. Rodgers will have for you.” The doctor looked back to the door. “Well, I’m finished up with you. I suppose I’ll let the investigators know they can come in.” He didn’t sound pleased at all. She was gonna take advantage of that.

“You don’t seem happy about that.” Figuring she should check first, she was still a little, well not herself, so it behooved her to make sure.

The doctor got a look of distaste on his face. “They were just going to barge in, not clearing their little visit with any of your doctors.” 

Ah, the battles of arrogance between doctors and lawyers. Gotta love it. And use it. Because she wanted to talk to Filip and Jackson before they got in the damn room. “Well, Dr. Clarke, would you like to aggravate them a little further?”

The doctor smiled at her. “I’m never opposed to putting people in their places.” The smile went away. “And these two need it.” Then it was back. “What would you like me to do?” The look on his face seemingly hoping she would mention elective surgery.

“Tell them they can wait until my lawyer gets here.” She looked over to the clock. “Which should be in about thirty minutes.”

“That I can do.” Dr. Clarke smiled at them again. “I’ll even escort them to the family lounge on this floor. Tell them a nurse will come get them when your attorney has arrived.”

“Thanks, Dr. Clarke, I appreciate it.” The doctor nodded to the two of them as he left.

She looked over to Filip. “Text Jackson. I want to talk to you guys before they’re in the room.” Then at the clock. “And before Jonathan gets here.”

Filip was already texting Jackson. When he was finished he looked up. “Jackie should be here momentarily.” Then looked over to the clock. “When will Jonathan be here?”

“Next twenty, thirty minutes.” She grinned. “And I’m sure he’ll make them wait until he’s gotten a chance to talk to all three of us for a minute.”

Filip grinned back at her. “Don’t doubt that at all, luv.”

She wanted to ask what had happened with Thomas this morning but they didn’t have the time to get into it right now. She needed to focus on what was happening now. She was still in pain and still not fully with it thanks to the meds they were still giving her. And she’d kill for a cup of coffee, but being pregnant put the kibosh on that idea. Before she could open her mouth to complain, Jackson came in.

“There are two suits looking really unhappy in the lounge area as I got off the elevator.” And sounding rather pleased at the notion.

She shook her head, albeit affectionately. “They’re on our side this time.” She looked at both of her outlaws. “Maybe we should treat them that way.”

“Spectacular idea.” Jonathan’s voice was wry in the doorway. Her lawyer smiled as he closed the door. “At least until they give us cause not to…” Jonathan smiled at Filip and Jackson. “And then I’d let Eleanor castigate them.”

She had a feeling this wasn’t going to go well, and Jonathan wasn’t making her feel any better about the situation. “Any reason you seem pessimistic?”

Jonathan shrugged a little. She knew he was trying to avoid stating the obvious. The DA’s investigators would come in with prejudices simply because of the club. When she looked at Filip and Jackson, she could see they knew it too. She could see the guilt creeping into Jackson’s eyes.

She looked at them both. “Should we get this over with?” They both nodded. She looked over to Jonathan.

Her lawyer nodded. “I’ll go get them.” Slipping out of the room.

When the door closed, she looked over to Jackson. “Stop beating yourself up. The club didn’t have a damn thing to do with this, so please put the self-flagellation on hold.” She didn’t have time to be diplomatic. 

Jackson’s lips twisted with wry annoyance, but he nodded. Good, because she really didn’t have it in her today to deal with Jackson’s over-developed guilt complex and verbally parry with two of the DA’s minions.

The hospital room door opened and Jonathan was followed in by two bland, bureaucratic looking men, both in dark suits. The taller of the two stepped forward. “Miss Kinloch, my name is Brian Miller, and this is my partner David Swanson. We’re with the DA’s office and would like to get a statement about the events that put you in that bed.”

The man then looked over to Jackson and Filip. “If we could have the room.” The disdain for the two of them clear. 

Jackson shook his head. “This matter also involved my son. I’m not leaving.” Then looked over to Filip. “And neither is he.” Jackson’s voice remained reasonable. “We’ll stay out of your way, but we aren’t leaving.”

She looked at the two suits. “And I asked them to be here.” Sitting up a little straighter regardless of how it hurt. “If this is an issue, then you two are welcome to leave and the DA can send someone else.”

Mr. Miller backed down quickly. “That’s fine.” The man gestured towards one of the empty chairs. “Do you mind if I sit?”

She leaned back. “Knock yourself out.” The man sat down, pulling out a notebook.

“We’ve gotten statements from everyone but you and Thomas Teller.” Mr. Miller started.

“You won’t be speaking to Thomas anytime soon.” She finished. “He’s too young and at the moment too fragile to even try.”

The other suit spoke up. “We have a psychologist who sits in with us when we talk to children.” Then looked at Jackson and nearly sneered. “And his father would be allowed to be with him.”

She glanced at Jackson, who looked at the guy steadily. “You’ll talk to Thomas when Ella says you can. No sooner.”

The suit gave both her and Jackson dirty looks. “Then you obviously don’t care about a conviction.”

She bit her lip and took a deep breath so she wouldn’t call him a prick to his face. After calming a moment, she gave the man a sneer of her own. “You can tell your boss that if a conviction is more important than the mental health of a four-year-old, then I voted for the wrong person and I won’t be voting for her in the next election.” She glanced at the other suit. “Nor will I be contributing to her campaign.” Then smiled at them. “Shall we continue?”

Mr. Swanson decided he wasn’t done. “We can compel you to produce the child.”

Jonathan stood up. “Yes, you can. And we can fight it in court. Which we would.” Her attorney rubbed his hands together as if trying to decide how to tell them to fuck off most effectively. “And quite frankly considering the amount of witnesses, plus the man’s own confession, if your boss can’t prosecute the case without Thomas Teller…” Letting the implication that she’d be a joke of a lawyer if she lost hang in the air.

“It’s not just the case against Brent Mitchell. It’s also the case against Tara Knowles.” The suit countered back.

Fuck it. This was getting out of control. “Hey.” Getting everyone’s attention. She looked at the investigators. “First of all. The last I knew Brent Mitchell was hanging on by a thread in the infirmary at the jail.” She looked at all of the shocked looks. “Roosevelt stopped in about fifteen minutes before you guys got here this morning.” Then back to the investigators. “And Tara isn’t going anywhere.” She took a deep breath. “You will talk to Thomas when he has been cleared by a psychologist of MY choosing, and no sooner. Am I clear?” She was starting to hurt and wanted this to be over. “Now, I’m willing to answer any questions you may have for me, but you will have to learn to live with not talking to Thomas. And if your boss has a problem with that, then she’s welcome to come talk to me about it.”

Mr. Miller sighed and nodded. “Fine.” Then flipped his notebook open. “The witnesses we spoke to said that Mr. Mitchell stopped you as you were trying to enter your business, correct?”

She nodded. “Yes. As we passed Floyd’s, he got out of the car he’d been in and stood on the sidewalk in front of the shop door. Thomas had started to shake so I already knew that this was the ‘bad man’ he’d been worried about since he’d been back.” She glanced over to Filip and Jackson, both of whom were hearing this for the first time. They’d had so many other things take priority that neither had asked what had actually happened, and she hadn’t felt up to telling. Neither looked happy.

She continued. “He had his hand behind his back, but at the time I really didn’t think much about it.” She stopped for a second to take a drink of water. “He made some comment about Thomas being his, which I contradicted immediately. I shoved him aside, got Thomas into the shop, told the girls to lock the door and the next thing I knew, I’d been shot.” She shrugged. “Then woke up here.”

Mr. Miller nodded as he wrote. “Mr. Mitchell said that Mr. Teller punched him after the police arrived.” The suit looked at Jackson with a slight smile. “The Sheriff says the suspect fell while handcuffed. Would you like to change that?”

She looked over to Jackson, who was smirking right back at the investigator. “No, he fell.” She could see the ‘after my fist hit his face’ in Jackson’s eyes.

The investigator arched an eyebrow, but said nothing. After a moment, he sighed briefly and looked back to her. “Has Thomas Teller spoken of what happened to him while he was with Mr. Mitchell and Ms. Knowles?” She could see both Jackson and Filip bristle.

“Other than the nightmares and the vague references to ‘the bad man’, no.” She levelled a look at the man. “And nice end run around the guidelines I had set.” She looked at both men. “I don’t know how you came to be investigators with the DA’s office. I know most are former police detectives, but that’s not a hard and fast rule." Implying that she had judgements about their levels of intelligence. "But, as I said, you will not be speaking to Thomas, and you won’t be getting me…” Then gesturing to Filip and Jackson. “Or them to make any further statements about what Thomas may or may not have told us.” She leaned back. “Unless you have any further questions for me, you may go.”

The suit that had stayed standing spoke up. “Actually we tell you when we’re finished.”

Before Jonathan could speak, she sat up again and stared at the man until he started to wilt a little. “You seem to have forgotten I’m the victim of this crime, and regardless of what feelings you may have towards them.” Indicating Filip and Jackson. “Keep treating me like I’m a criminal and you will be in court dealing with my attorney.” Her voice was cold and precise. “And while I’m in this bed? I control how long I talk to ANYONE.” She hit a button on the bed and a moment later a nurse’s voice came on the intercom. 

“Yes?” It sounded like Helen, but she couldn’t tell; they all sounded alike on the intercom.

“I’m in pain and would like my meds now.” She gave Filip a look conveying she was fine and she was just proving a point. She nearly laughed as Filip passed the look onto Jackson.

“Someone will be right in.” Yeah, it was Helen. Anyone else would have asked about pain levels and all of the other crap they have to ask. 

Looking over at the investigators, she smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant one, it was more along the lines of a smart-assed teenage smile. The one that usually made most parents of teens want to slap them. “In about ten minutes, I’m going to be asleep.” The smile left her face completely. “You can go now.”

The standing suit seemed to want to keep running his mouth, but the one sitting stood up and glanced at the other, who shut his mouth. Mr. Miller looked at her with a nod, conceding the round. “You’ve made your point.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “I wouldn’t be surprised if our boss pays you a visit.” Implying that she would have been better off dealing with them.

“So be it.” She shrugged. “You’re a state employee, she’s an elected official.” Her smile was back. “And through my years I’ve found elected officials far easier to deal with than bureaucrats.”

The standing suit muttered. “Not this one.” The other suit looked like he agreed with his partner.

She gave them both a blasé look. “Still not intimidated.”

Luckily Helen came through the door and looked at all three suits. “You need to leave so I can give my patient her meds.” Then looked at Jackson and Filip. “You two can stay if you want.”

Jonathan patted her foot. “Call when you’re feeling up to it later. We have other things to discuss.” He looked at his watch. “I have another client meeting in about an hour and a half, in Sacramento, I should get going.” Jonathan looked at the other suits. “I’ll escort you gentlemen to the parking lot.” Giving the other two no option but to follow.

Once they were gone, Helen looked at her. “Do you really need you meds or did you just want them gone?”

Laughing lightly because, damn it hurt, she shook her head. “Maybe later, I was just really done with them.”

“Okay.” Helen sat the small cup on the tray, then looked at Filip. “Let me know what time she takes them so I can put it in her chart.”

Filip nodded as she walked out of the room.

Leaning back on the pillows she looked at her men. “Now, would the two if you care to tell me what happened with Thomas this morning?” She smiled and this time it was genuine and full of relief and joy. “Because, damn. That was almost a different boy this morning.”

Jackson looked to Filip, who looked back at Jackson. After a minute, she grew impatient. “Would one of you grow a set and spill?”

They both gave her mildly dirty looks and then Filip nodded. "I'll tell ye, but ye have to take the meds when I'm done." Finality in his tone. He knew she hated the meds. Jackson nodding along.

Leaning back she smiled at the two of them. Over-protective assholes. "Fine. I'll take the meds. Start talking."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! I adore hearing your takes on my work, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms! Whatever you want, lol.
> 
> Huge thanks to all who have clicked the kudo button and that have taken the time to comment! They get me through when I'm stuck and want to give up.
> 
> Coming next chapter: Chibs and Jax tell Ella about what happened with Thomas.


	99. Chapter Ninety-Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chibs, Jax, and Ella discuss Thomas's early morning visit. And Chibs makes an offer that Jax and Ella aren't thrilled with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> I would however, like to thank the lovely WillowFaerie82 for letting me bounce ideas off of her, even though she is hard at work on her own SOA fic that I can't wait to be able to read on AO3. :D

Chibs looked over to Jackie, then back to Ella, who was rapidly losing her patience with the two of them. He had a feeling that she’d be threatening to have Tiggy shoot them again if he didn’t start talking.

“Not long after ye called this mornin’, as Jackie was gettin’ ready to go downstairs, Thomas knocked on the door.” Before she could get goin’ with lecturin’ them about how she had called specifically to remind them, he held up a hand. “Literally minutes after we hung up.” She sat back and nodded.

He glanced at Jackie, then back to Ella. Seeing that neither one of them was gonna make this any easier for him, he sighed. “After the littlest Teller came in and informed us that brother says that Da sleeps upstairs all the time like it’s nothing at all…”

“Really.” Their girl made it seem less like a question and more like a comment.

He raised an eyebrow at her which she waved away.

“I’ve had my suspicions for a while that Abel’s had a pretty good idea of what’s going on.” She held her hand up to forestall any comments by him or Jackie. “I didn’t say anything because it was just a feeling, nothing concrete I could even point to.”

That made sense. No reason to get Jackie all worked up over a ‘feeling’. She looked at Jackie who still looked like he wanted to protest. “What if I’d have said something and you mention it to Abel and he’s got no idea what the hell you’re talking about and then we HAVE to explain it to him?”

“Point made.” Jackie capitulated with a wry smile.

“Tell me the rest.” Ella sat back into the pillows.

“Bossy.” He patted her leg. Before she could say anything else, he went on telling her about the conversation that he’d had with Thomas. Even though it had been a hell of a conversation, and he really didn’t enjoy having to relive it; Ella needed to know.

By the time he’d finished, their girl was wiping tears from her eyes. “I know that prick is in the infirmary already, but man…”

All he and Jackie could do was nod, because they certainly were of the same mind-set. Whatever had been done to that bastard would never be enough to pay for what evil had been done to Thomas. Even though the lad seemed better this morning, he still worried that he’d not said the right things, that somehow he’d fucked the whole thing up further.

He must have gotten lost in his head for a minute because when he looked back up the two of them were looking at him a little worriedly. Ella reached out a hand and he grabbed it. “You did fine this morning, you know that, right?” 

He shrugged, because he still wasn’t sure. Jackie kicked his boot. “Hey, I was there. You did a hell of a lot better than I could have.” Jackie’s voice was quiet and serious. “Thomas got answers that made sense to him for now.” He looked up to see a sad smile on Jackie’s face. 

Ella took back over. “All we can do is reassure him that he’s safe and loved. That’s what you did. You didn’t lie to him, answered his questions to the best of your abilities.” She shook her head when he went to protest. “You gave him the only answers any of us could.” Looking at both of them. “I’m just wondering what brought it on.” Their girl had a valid point. Up until this morning, the littlest Teller (for now), hadn’t shown any interest in talking about what had gone on when the lad had been with Tara.

Both he and Jackie looked at each other, then back to their lass, shrugging. He knew he sure as shite didn’t have a clue. Looking over to Jackie, he could see the other man had no idea either.

The three of them sat in silence as both he and Jackie watched the wheels in Ella’s mind spin. After a couple of minutes, she shrugged. “The only thing I can think of is he’s trying to figure out some things before he’s a big brother.” She looked at both of them. “Either one of you have anything?” Hints of a wry smile at the corners of her mouth.

Thinking about what she said, he looked over to Jackie, who held up his hands, clearly agreeing it seemed possible. He couldn’t really disagree. Since Thomas had been assured that the new babies were going to be his little brother and/or sister like he was to Abel, the lad had seemed to take the idea of being an older sibling seriously. So he wouldn’t be surprised if that had prompted Thomas to make sure that the lad had things straight in his head. Because the more he thought about it, that’s how it seemed; sure the lad had asked a couple of questions that Thomas really had no idea why things had happened, but more were merely asking for confirmation of things Thomas sounded like he was already pretty sure of, like the questions about loving Mama and Jackie.

“Aye, yer probably right.” Then gave them both a small smile. “Hopefully this will be a real step forward for the lad.”

“Without the two steps back this time would be nice.” Jackie sat back in the chair he was in and propped his feet up on Ella’s bed. “He could use a couple of smooth days.”

“I think that goes for all of us Jackie.” He didn’t bother holding in the small laugh. Then looked over to Ella. “Especially you Mama.” Glancing towards a baby bump that he was convinced he could already see. “Ye’ve got little boarders to keep safe.” 

Jackie nodded his agreement, as Ella shook her head with a smile. “You two are going to be ridiculous about this pregnancy aren’t you? Over-protective and over-bearing.” Trying to look pissy, but both of them could see the grin threatening to break out.

“Yes.” “Aye”. The two of them answered in unison, grinning at each other. Because they were going to be over-protective and over-bearing; probably to the point where she was going to be genuinely pissed about it, but he knew that wasn’t going to deter either one of them. Hell, he would lay money that Gem and Tiggy, and quite possibly Bobby were going to be fussing over Ella until they day the babies are born.

“So you might as well admit defeat and surrender gracefully.” Jackie turned his grin to Ella. “Otherwise, we’ll…” Using his hand to indicate the two of them. “…Sic the boys on you.” Jackie grinned and for a second everything felt so normal; the three of them in a room, relaxed and just…together. “They’ll keep you in line.”

“And you say I play dirty…” She shook her head. “I’ll be good and follow doctor’s orders.” She gave Jackie a mock dirty look. “Use the boys against me…” 

Jackie shrugged and grinned over to him, then looked back at her. “What is it that you like to say? ‘By hook or by crook’?” Ella flipped Jackie off, but the smile she was trying to hide took the sting out.

He laughed along but was thinking that this may be the time to bring up what he’d been thinking about all morning; since Jackie and Thomas had left the bed to go downstairs. He’d been so spun around by the emotions that the talk he’d had with Thomas raised, that he’d been unable to go back to sleep.

He’d always felt like both of the lads were as much his as they were Jackie’s and Ella’s; and both lads, especially Thomas, treated him no differently than they did Mama and Da. The one thing this whole mess had made clear was that regardless of who knew what about the relationship the three of them had with each other; everyone looked at the three of them as the lads’ parents.

He also knew that the minute he voiced his idea, there would be serious arguments against it. And he’d thought of those, he really had, but he still felt that what he was getting ready to propose was the right thing for all the little ones.

“Filip?” He looked up again. Both Ella and Jackie were looking at him with slightly worried expressions on their faces. He could feel his chest tighten with the love he felt for the both of them, for the family the two of them had given him. “You with us?”

Smiling, he nodded. “Just thinkin’, luvs.”

“About?” Jackie’s feet hit the floor and he was leaning forward in the chair. Ella’s eyebrow went up; there was less curiosity and more order in Jackie’s tone, like the lad already knew to be ready to argue.

“The babies.” He gestured to Ella. “The lads.” Hoping that would lull Jackie into relaxing. But, no. Instead Jackie leaned forward even more.

“And?” That was an order. From both of them. He sighed.

“I was thinkin’ that regardless of who the Da is…” Nodding at Ella. “That they should be Teller’s, like Abel and Thomas.” He looked up to both of them shaking their heads. He put up his hands. “Hear me out.”

The two of them sat back, glaring at him. He put his hands down, gripping his knees as he got his thoughts in order. “Look, we’ve all been goin’ on about how the lads are gonna be big brothers, and Thomas is certainly on the big brother bandwagon, it’ll just confuse them when the new babies are Telford’s instead of Teller’s.” He shook his head. “And it’s not like the lads don’t already treat me like I’m their Da too. It’s gonna be the same thing with the new babies, they’re not gonna care who gets called Da and who gets called Uncle, it’s pretty much the same goddamned thing to them.” Sighing again, he smiled at both of them. “It’s not like I’d love them any less.” He looked at Jackie. “Yours or mine, it doesn’t matter Jackie…” He reached over and grabbed Jackie’s wrist. “They’re ours. Names are just…” He waved a hand. “In the end, unimportant.” 

Jackie looked over to Ella, who pointedly looked back to the lad letting him know that for the moment, she was staying the hell out of this one. Jackie sighed and used his free hand to wipe his eyes. “And here I was thinking that regardless of who the dad is, they’d be Telford’s since you didn’t get to…” Jackie’s voice gentled. “…You know, be a part of Kerrieanne’s life.” Jackie went on in that same tone, like if he kept his voice that gentle smoky tone, Jackie would be able to get his way. 

“This has nothin’ to do with Kerrieanne.” His tone wasn’t so gentle. Kerrieanne was a sore subject for him. Even now that she was old enough to make her own decisions, she rarely called him, and when she did the conversations were stilted and short. “Or the relationship I don’t have with her.” He shook his head. “It’s about Thomas and Abel.” He stared into Jackie’s eyes, nearly pleading with the lad to understand. 

“Guys?” They both looked over to Ella, who did not look pleased with either one of them. “Last time I checked my last name was Kinloch.” Letting that hang in the air. Both he and Jackie were gaping at her like idiots. “Oh good, I have your attention.” She tried to sit up straighter, but gave up the minute it was too painful. Both he and Jackie made a move to help, but she waved them both off and laid back, holding up a finger. “First of all, we have a lot of time to make that decision.” She held up a second one. “Second.” Looking at him. “Have you thought about the fact that all of Charming sees me at your old lady and having babies named Teller would out this whole thing to everyone and their dog?”

Jackie looked at him with interest. He looked back to Ella and nodded. “Aye, that I did. And realized that it would be worth it for the little ones.”

Ella was still shaking her head. “And other MC’s? You think that The Mayans or the Grim Bastards are just gonna roll with it? How about SAMTAC or SAMDINO? How are other charters gonna feel about it?” She threw up her hands. “I’m not dealing with this shit right now. We’ve got almost seven months before this is an issue. Let’s revisit your noble, misguided gesture later.” She had her head in her hands, thumbs massaging her temples like she did when she was frustrated with something. At the moment, that meant he and Jackie.

Looking over to Jackie, he leaned forward and put a hand on her leg. “We made a deal earlier luv. We told ye what happened this morning, ye’d take yer meds.” He squeezed her thigh. “Ye could use the sleep, luv.”

She looked up, resigned. “Yeah, I probably could.” She held out her hand and he put the pills in it, Jackie handing her the glass of water to wash them down with. After she got the pills down, she laid back into the bed, giving them both a pained smile. “And while I love you both, I’d really like to be alone for what seems like the first time in ages.” 

“Aye.” He leaned over and gave her a kiss. “I’m sure ye would. Get some sleep, we’ll check back with ye in a few hours.” He kissed her again. “Love ye lass. I’m gonna go let Helen know ye took yer meds.” Leaving Jackie to say his good-bye.

After letting Helen know when Ella had taken the meds, he met Jackie at the elevator. Jackie looked over with a wry smile. “That went well.” The tone of voice implying it had gone just as bad as he thought it had.

He nodded, looking at the elevator doors. They were lucky she hadn’t thrown anything at them. “Could have been worse.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jackie turn towards him, a nearly incredulous look on his face. “Could have been…” Jackie turned back towards the elevators. “I’m with Ella, I really don’t want to deal with this shit right now.” Jackie shook his head. “We’re all too fucking tired and too goddamned emotional and have bigger things to worry about right now.” The lad’s jaw was getting tighter. “I’m checking in with Tig and if there isn’t anything going on, I’m going back to the house to get a couple of hours of sleep.” Jackie turned to him again, looking as tired as he felt. “You comin’ home with me or are you heading to the clubhouse?”

At this point, they were all a little high strung; he had the feeling if he headed home with Jackie, the two of them would just end up shoutin’ at each other. It’d been a long week and he was surprised they’d managed to go this long without the three of them snappin’ at each other. “Think I’ll go to the clubhouse Jackie, check in at T-M.” Smiling as Jackie relaxed a little. “Kick Juicy-boy’s ass at pool, clear my noggin.” He threw an arm around Jackie’s shoulders. “Maybe come wake ye up in a couple of hours.”

“Yeah.” Jackie smiled a little, elbowing him in the side. “That could work.” Jackie laughed as the elevator doors opened and they stepped in. “Maybe by then, we’ll both have taken our heads out of our asses and she’ll let us come back.”

He laughed as the elevator doors closed. He couldn’t have said it better himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it! I love hearing from you, so please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms!
> 
> Thanks again to all that have clicked that kudo button and that have taken the time to comment!


	100. Chapter Ninety-Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Judith out with the boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> I know it's been ages, and well, between real life and insane writer's block...
> 
> Unfortunately, I'm still trying to work through the writer's block, so this is probably not my best stuff, but I do think it's a cute fluffy chapter that we'll all need, because the next one isn't.

Sam sank gratefully down onto the park bench, as Judith wandered off behind their grandsons who were making a beeline for the playground equipment. 

After the museum and lunch at a local restaurant, the boys had noticed the park and well, he and his ex-wife certainly weren’t going to say no. He was hoping a long day with lots of running around would help Thomas sleep tonight without having to take the med the doctor prescribed for the boy. As far as he was concerned, a four-year-old shouldn’t need something to help him sleep. Oh, he understood that it was necessary for the moment, but he didn’t like it much. 

He watched the boys go down the slide a number of times, Abel always waiting at the bottom for his brother. Then they moved to the swings for a good half an hour. Judith was pushing Thomas at first, but towards the end, he was swinging by himself, looking pleased as punch. 

After a few more minutes on the swings, Thomas came running towards him as Judith and Abel made their way to a small building he assumed was the restrooms. As Thomas crawled up onto the park bench, he smiled down at his grandson. “Grandma Judy take Abel to the bathroom?”

“Yeah, I didn’t have to go so Grandma said to come sit with you.” Thomas sounded good. It had been a good day so far, no road bumps, so to speak. Whatever had happened this morning before he’d gotten in from Diosa, had really done wonders for Thomas. And he was glad to see it. While he knew that Thomas wasn’t going to be just fine overnight, he hoped that the boy would be able to trust that he was finally home for good.

He knew he should have knocked on wood the second he had that thought. Thomas looked up at him and he knew the look on Thomas’s face. He knew his grandson was getting ready to ask a question that was either going to be a) impossible to answer; b) awkward as all hell to answer; or c) his personal non-favorite, a combination of both.

But instead of heaving the sigh he really wanted to, he just smiled down at Thomas. “Ask away, bud.”

“How did you know I had a question?” Thomas’s brow was furrowed. 

“Grand-dad super power, bud.” Happy to see a smile cross Thomas’s face. He patted Thomas’s leg. “Your Mama was a champion question asker; I recognize the look.” He smiled at his grandson. “I’ll answer any question you have the best I can.”

Thomas nodded, then looked down at the ground for a second before looking back up at him. “I don’t know anything about babies.” Thomas looked serious. “Will you help me?” 

Of course the kid would hit option C. He took a breath. “Didn’t Mama say she was going to get you a book, so she could explain that to you?” Crossing his fingers that the reminder that Mama was on top of it would deter the question.

Thomas shook his head. “No, I don’t know how to…” Thomas stopped for a minute, trying to figure out what he was going to say. He waited for his grandson to get his thoughts together. 

Thomas started again. “Babies wear diapers and need bottles and I don’t know how to do that! How can I be a big brother if I can’t do those things?!” Thomas seemed genuinely worried that this was a major fail as a sibling. 

This time he did heave a sigh of relief. This was a far easier line of questioning than he’d anticipated. Patting Thomas’s leg again, he smiled down at the boy.

“Those things are things that Mama will help you with. And your Dad and Uncle Chibs.” He chuckled a little. “Bud, those things are things you can certainly help with, but they aren’t your job.” He gave his grandson a smile. “Those are your Mama and Uncle Chibs’s jobs. And knowing your Mama, she’ll make it your Dad’s job too.” 

Thomas narrowed his eyes a little, like he was thinking about arguing. It was the same look Jax got when he went to argue with someone. It was kind of funny, at least to him; but even though Abel was the spitting image of Jax, Thomas was the one who really had his facial expressions. Most of the time Abel’s facial expressions reminded him more of his own daughter than of Jax. 

Before Thomas could come up with an argument, he went on. “You and Abel have a different job with the new babies.” Thomas perked up and listened intently. He smiled at Abel as the older boy joined his brother on the bench. Judith stayed standing behind the two. He looked at Judith. “Thomas was a little worried about his diaper changing and bottle feeding skills. I was explaining that was kind of a Mama and Dad thing, but that he and Abel would have their own duties as big brothers.”

Judith nodded with a smile as Abel laughed a little and looked at Thomas. “Thomas, you don’t want to change diapers. They’re gross. Really gross.” Abel shook his head with a disgusted look on his face. “My friend Ryan’s baby brother pooped green once! It smelled so bad me and Ryan went outside.” Abel put his hands up, face resolute. “I’m not changing diapers.”

“No one expects you to, bud.” He reached over and put Abel’s hands down. He laughed as he ruffled Abel’s hair. 

Thomas looked over to Abel. “Babies can’t help it.” Thomas looked up to him and Judith. “Right?”

His ex-wife smiled at Thomas. “That’s right.” She smiled at Abel. “Ryan’s brother probably had been fed peas or green beans.” Then Judith grinned at the boys. “Imagine if he’d been fed carrots.”

Abel looked up at Judith wide-eyed before collapsing into giggles. Thomas looked at Abel in confusion. Seeing the look on his younger brother’s face, Abel managed to get himself back under control long enough to pant out. “Think about what color carrots are Thomas.” Collapsing back into his giggle fit.

After processing for approximately ten seconds, Thomas realized what Abel was getting at and started to giggle too. He looked up at Judith, who gave him a quick wink before looking back at the boys. “Exactly.” She waited for the boys to laugh themselves out. “Thomas, you have a while before you have to worry about being a big brother. And remember, you have Abel to show you what a big brother does. He’s a good big brother, right?”

“Yeah.” Thomas looked at Abel. “You’ll help me?”

The eye-roll that Abel gave Thomas was good to see. It meant that the two of them were getting settled in, comfortable together in the way they had been before Tara spirited Thomas away. “Of course I will, Thomas.” Abel flung an arm around Thomas’s shoulder. “We’re gonna be the best big brothers ever.” Now Abel looked just like his dad, confident as confident could be.

He chuckled a little at Abel’s pronouncement. “I’m sure you two will be, bud.” He looked over to Thomas. “All set now, buddy?” Thomas still had a look of more questions about him, so Sam braced himself. He had a feeling that he wouldn’t be getting off as easily as he had before with the boy.

Thomas shrugged. “I guess.” He briefly glanced at Judith, who gave him a shrug before looking back to Thomas. 

“You can ask us whatever you want. You know that, right honey?” She looked over to him before looking back down at the boys. “Both of you. Grandpa and myself will answer any questions as best we can.”

Thomas stared at Judith for a moment before shaking his head. “I think I’ll ask Mama.” Then looked over to him. “But can we get ice cream?” Thomas looked at Abel. “That’s a question, right?”

Abel nodded furiously as both he and his ex-wife hid grins behind their hands. “It’s a good question Thomas.” Abel looked up at them. “So, can we?”

He gave a bit of a theatrical sigh as he looked over to Judith. “I don’t know, what do you think Judy?” He gave her and the boys a thoughtful look. “I mean, they behaved at the museum, ate all of their lunch, and then played nicely here at the park. That might deserve ice cream, don’t you think?” Watching both boy’s heads swivel to his ex-wife.

Judith studied both boys for a minute before her mouth twitched up at the corners. “I might have noticed a Baskin-Robbins not far from here.”

“Yes!” Abel threw a fist in the air. Thomas looked confused, until his brother turned to him. “We’re getting ice cream Tommy! Baskin-Robbins is the best! They have Bubble-gum ice cream! It’s got little pieces of bubble-gum that you can save and after ice cream you have bubble-gum!”

While Thomas looked happy at the mention of ice cream, he had turned mildly green at the thought of Bubble-gum flavored ice cream. “I don’t think I want that.”

He picked Thomas up as Judith took Abel’s hand, and started to head for the Range Rover. “You don’t have to get that flavor, bud.” He gave his grand-son a squeeze. “There will be plenty of others for you to choose from, you don’t have to get what Abel gets.” He smiled at Thomas. “Me, I’m going to get Cookies and Cream.”

“I think I’ll get Jamoca Almond Fudge.” Judith added her two-cents. “Your Uncle Pat used to like the Bubble-gum, but your Mama always got Chocolate Fudge.” Helping Abel get in the back seat as he set Thomas into his car seat.

“She still does.” Abel laughed. “Dad says it tastes like frozen brownie batter. Uncle Chibs likes Mint Chocolate Chip.” Abel looked over to Thomas. “They have so many flavors, you’ll find one you like, I promise.”

Thomas just nodded, looking a little lost in thought. He caught Thomas’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “You okay bud?” 

Thomas blinked and then nodded. “I’m just thinking that I think I want what Mama gets. But I don’t know if I’ll like it for sure.”

Abel shook his head. “Don’t worry.” Abel grinned. “They give samples.” Seeing his brother’s confusion, he elaborated. “They’ll give you a little on a baby spoon so you know if you’ll like it.”

Thomas lit up. “They do?”

Abel nodded, grin still firmly stuck. “Yeah. I always get some before I get my ice cream, even if I already know what I wanna get. Mama does too.”

Thomas nodded happily as he relaxed back into his car seat. “That’s good.”

With that settled, he started the Rover and headed in the direction of the Baskin-Robbins, listening to his grandsons talk quietly in the back; Abel telling Thomas about all of the flavors he had tried in the past, trying to help his little brother form a plan of attack for samples.

After ice cream he felt like the coast would be clear for them to head back to Charming. He’d heard from Filip briefly after the investigators had left, stating it had gone as well as any of them had thought it would. Which ultimately meant that the investigators said something to aggravate his daughter and she told them to go fuck themselves. But he hadn’t heard from anyone since. And while he normally went with the ‘no news is good news’ theory of life, this was not one of those times. Even if he wasn’t the most physically demonstrative fathers, he loved his children, and grandchildren deeply and this was a time he felt the need to be close.

Since he and Patrick had arrived in Charming and found Thomas had been returned to the family fold, he’d thought about retirement. He had plenty of money to live comfortably for the next twenty years or so. And he liked the idea of being able to see his grandsons on a daily basis.

As he pulled into the strip mall that housed the Baskin-Robbins, he decided; he was done. He’d talked to his editor about the possibility, and even though Joe had said that he could live in California and still write his column; he didn’t want to. He wanted to be able to take his grandsons, and maybe even granddaughters to games without it being work. He didn’t want to have to schedule his life around professional sports schedules. He wanted to be the grandfather his father had been to his kids. So, he was done. 

Getting the boys out of the Rover, he was picturing doing this every week with the boys; some guy time with ice cream. The strip mall wasn’t that far out of the way from Arco, they could come before or after a Kings game. 

As he followed the others into the shop, he was suddenly anxious to get ice cream and get back to Charming. He had to start planning. And tell his daughter that for the first time in nearly thirty years, she was going to have to deal with one of her parental units on a daily basis.

And also tell her that Thomas likes frozen brownie batter as much as she does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I really, really appreciate it! Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or constructive criticisms, I love hearing from you guys!!
> 
> Huge hugs and kisses to those that have clicked that kudo button and taken the time to comment!


	101. Chapter One-Hundred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ella has two visitors. One a friend and one an expected stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> My apologies for the amount of time since the last post. Writer's block is real and evil and I'm still not sure if it's completely gone, but my toes are crossed. (Because I need my fingers to type, hehehe.)

Ella could feel the eyes on her, pulling her to consciousness, but she didn’t open her eyes. She was pretty sure it wasn’t Twink, because he wouldn’t pull that shit right now. She cracked an eye, and found herself looking at District Attorney Patterson.

The older woman gave her a bland smile. “I don’t think my investigators have ever been so thoroughly told to fuck off without someone actually uttering the words.”

She shrugged. “Then they probably shouldn’t have treated me like a suspect, and treated me like the victim of the crime.”

“Maybe it’s the company you choose to keep.” Patterson’s tone was wry.

She didn’t bother to reply. She wasn’t going to get pulled into the conversation of how she managed to hook up with criminals. Just because she didn’t have an arrest record didn’t mean she was little Mary Sunshine. Granted she wasn’t a career criminal, but the last time she checked, every joint she lit was a law broken.

“What do you want? Like I told your minions; none of you are getting to Thomas before I say so, and that won’t be happening anytime soon. Either you make your case without him or she walks.” She looked over to the woman. “I don’t care. But no one gets to him until he talks to a professional of my choosing, not one of your hacks from the state.”

Patterson’s smile became warmer. “You really are a Mama Bear, aren’t you? They are your sons.” The woman nodded like she approved.

“Damn right they are.” She was raising the head of the bed so she could be more vertical. When she grimaced at the pain the incisions from the surgery was giving her, Patterson was at her side helping her to get upright. “Thanks.” 

Patterson sat back in the chair. “The state actually has very good child psychologists in their employ, but I came to tell you that I would abide by your decision. I have more than enough to convict Ms. Knowles on the charges she is being held on. But I did want to ask that if Thomas has been seen by any doctors that we have access to those records. Just to shore up the evidence we do have.”

She thought about it. The physician’s record would show that Thomas was malnourished but none of the sexual abuse. She looked at Patterson. “I have no objections to that, but let me ask his father. This is one of those decisions I can’t make on my own.” She ground her teeth for a moment. “Legally he’s the only one who can sign off on that right now.”

Patterson nodded. “Thank you.” The woman stood. “I have to ask; why Chibs Telford?”

“You can’t see past the kuttes on their backs.” She shook her head with slight dismay. She had hoped to get out of this meeting without having to justify who she loves. “Filip is smart, funny…” She grinned a little. “Great in bed and good to my boys.” The grin disappeared. “And as for the rest, as far as I know, he’s a mechanic who is in a motorcycle club.”

Patterson gave her a what she supposed was to be a withering look, but hey, she had faced Judith for most of her childhood and adolescence and Patterson should probably hit her mother up for lessons, because this look was having no effect on her. “I find it hard to believe you are that oblivious to their criminal activities.”

She felt her lips twist up in a wry smile. “It’s not like I spend my time following them around. I just know what goes on in my house.” She hit the button for the nurse’s station. She was hoping to get a soda of some sort. “While this has been highly educational, for both of us, I’m sure you have more important things to do.” Hopefully the lady took the hint and go quickly.

Patterson nodded with her hand on the doorknob. “I do. But I have to admit that I find it odd that you aren’t leading the charge to have Tara Knowles convicted.”

She shrugged. “A conviction is less important than Thomas’s well-being. And I’m pretty sure that testifying against his birth mother would put a huge dent in that.” She straightened up as much as she could. “Make no mistake, that is my priority. Whether Tara goes to prison or not makes no difference to me. She’s lost everything already.” She leaned back and gave Patterson another wry smile. “I don’t need a conviction. I’ve already won.”

“How’s that, considering you’re in that bed?” 

“I have Thomas. He’s home, he’s safe, and he is loved.” This time the smile was genuine. “In my book, that’s a win.”

Patterson actually smiled back at her. “I can’t disagree with that. If I need anything else, I will contact you, not my investigators.” The woman paused for a moment. “I hope you at least get to go home soon.”

“Thanks.” She wasn’t going to tell the woman she’d be home in the next day or so; they could find that out for themselves.

Patterson gave her a last nod before leaving. Laying back she took a breath. That had gone better and far faster than she had thought it would. But, then again, shot pregnant women get treated with kid gloves. She could get used to it.

A nurse stuck her head in the door. “You rang?” It was Leslie, a younger brunette with a wide smile and perky disposition. Leslie drove her a little nuts, but she supposed the girl was perfect for the unit full of new mothers and babies.

“Can I get a Pepsi?” Fingers crossed, because as much as she wanted the sugar, what she really wanted was caffeine.

“No can do. You can have a Sprite.” Leslie looked almost sorry.

“Fine.” She stopped herself from rolling her eyes. She wasn’t a teenager and was sure Leslie would just laugh at her anyway.

“I’ll be back in a couple of minutes!” Leslie chirped before closing the door.

The nurse hadn’t been gone even a minute when the door opened again. But this was a welcome visitor, she smiled. “Tiggy.”

“Hey doll.” He grinned back. “How ya feelin’? I saw Patterson leavin’, she come talk to you?”

“I’m sore and I’m bored.” She smiled at Tig. “And yeah, she came to see me.”

Tig raised an eyebrow at her brevity.

She shrugged. “Waiting for a nurse to bring me a Sprite.” Saying the last word like it was the last thing in the world she wanted.  
Tig grinned and reached inside his kutte and pulled out a can of Pepsi. “You gotta wait until the nurse comes back, so I don’t get in trouble.”

She laughed as she tucked the ice cold can behind her. “Aww, is my Tiggy afraid of the nurses?”

“Fuck no, but I am cautiously aware of Chibs and Jax if they found out.” He scoffed at her with a smile.

“Point taken.” She grinned at the nurse as Leslie came in with a can of Sprite and a glass of ice. “Thanks, Leslie.”

“No problem. Just hit the button if you need anything else.” Then smiled at Tig. “Or just make these guys do the running for you.”

“You know it, sweetheart.” Tig smiled at the girl, who blushed slightly before hurrying out.

“Don’t scare the baby nurses Tiggy.” Reaching out and giving Tig’s shoulder a small shove while chuckling. “It hurts to laugh.”

Tig’s grin died down some. “You okay doll?”

She sighed. She had the feeling it was going to be a long pregnancy. “Yes. It just twinges when I laugh right now.”

“It’ll go away in a week or so.” Tig spoke with authority and she gave him a look. He shrugged. “You’re not the first person I know that’s taken bullets.” Tig shook his head. “So, what did Patterson want?”

It was her turn to shrug, because other than the medical records, the woman hadn’t wanted anything. “She wants access to Thomas’s pediatrician’s records, but other than that?” She shrugged again. “I think she just came to size me up.”

Tig nodded like it made sense to him. “Considering what Chibs told me about the meeting with her lackey’s?” Tig laughed. “I’m not surprised, doll.”

“I told her I didn’t care if they convicted Tara or not.” She looked at the hand Tig was resting on her calf. “Told her as far as I was concerned, I had already won. I have Thomas.” She looked up at Tig. “I really don’t care if she lives or dies. She can’t get her hands on Thomas again.” Then voiced a thought that had been nagging at the back of her head. “But I don’t think that I want us to be the ones ending her. If she dies, it shouldn’t be from us.” She looked back down at the expanse of white that covered her legs. “I just don’t think I’d be able to look Thomas in the face if we had anything to do with it.” She kept staring down at her legs.

Black denim came into her eyeline as Tig perched by her on the bed. Putting a finger under her chin, he lifted her head until she was looking straight at him. There was a gentle smile on his face that she was positive she was one of the few people privileged enough to see. “Then you need to tell Jax and Chibs that ASAP.” He lost the smile and gave her a no-bullshit look. “Like you call them and tell them to get here. Tara’s goin’ to county in the morning.”

She looked into Tig’s absurdly blue eyes and sighed. “How much of an argument do you think I’m going to have to make?”

“I think if you go with the ‘It’s bad for Thomas’ route, they’ll listen.” He shrugged with a slight smile. “Doll, you’re pregnant. Right now, you can ask for pretty much anything and those two are going to fall all over each other to make it happen. If you don’t want anything to happen to Tara, then nothing happens to Tara that she doesn’t do to herself. Simple as that.” He patted her leg. “And if it makes you feel better, I don’t think you’re wrong.”

She felt her jaw drop just a smidge, but thought she had managed to get it past Tig, who just rolled his eyes. “I am not opposed to the occasional murder…” With the creepy grin she hated, but kind of loved because it was still Tig. “…but say we off Tara and fifteen years from now Thomas decides to go looking into what happened to her…” He shook his head. “No need for that clusterfuck to happen.” He shrugged again. “Let her slink away, do her time.” He squeezed her calf where his hand was resting. “She’ll probably OD soon anyway. She’s not gonna be able to get Oxy inside, but she will be able to get heroin. She won’t know what she’s doin’ and bam!” He patted her leg again for emphasis. “She’s dead.” He looked rather pleased at the notion.

She sighed. While she didn’t care if Tara lived or died, it would be better for Thomas, in the long run if she lived. What had been done to him will rear its’ ugly head for years and years to come; if not his whole life. She knew that they could help him with a lot and minimize the damage done, but eventually, Thomas was going to need the same moment that Abel had with Tara just a week ago? Fuck, it seemed like almost a lifetime with all the monumental turns the last week had thrown at them.

Tig nudged her leg. “Uh, doll? You okay?” She blinked, realizing that she had been staring right through him. He looked both freaked out and highly concerned.

“I think we need her to live.” She nearly whispered the words, they felt like ashes in her mouth. Partly because the almost primal anger she felt towards Tara was still calling for blood and partly because she’s having a hard time reconciling the fact that she’s having to talk herself into wanting a fellow human being to NOT be murdered, or NOT overdose because something turned them into a pathetic junkie. That’s what was killing her; she knew enough from not only what everyone here in Charming had to say about the woman Tara had been to what kind of woman allows what was wrought on Thomas to happen; that Tara was almost as much a victim of that prick as Thomas. She made a mental note to send her mother to see Tara before morning. 

“I know.” Tig had a slight smirk on his face. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy thinking about it.” 

She shook her head. “No, Tiggy. Think about it. Would the Tara you knew before even remotely let anything like this happen?” She shook her head again. “And now that the rest of my brain is kicking in…”

Tig was now shaking his head. “Nah.” He held up a hand as she went to interrupt. “I get that some bad shit happened to Tara and you’re starting to try and figure out what got her to that point, but Tara didn’t leave that prick until he wanted somethin’ SHE didn’t want to give him.” Tig’s eyes were blazing with anger. “That waste of flesh already had Thomas, so it wasn’t about savin’ the kid, it was about savin’ her.” He shook his head again. “You want her alive so that Thomas gets some sort of closure or whatever the fuck you wanna call it? Fine. But don’t go all soft and think she was as much of a victim as that little guy was. Because she wasn’t. She left to save her own skin, not Thomas’s.” Tig stood. “And you’re right. The Tara we knew wouldn’t have allowed that.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “But she ain’t the Tara we knew. And sorry doll, victim or not, I don’t give a rat’s ass about this one.” He straightened up. “Hate to be a Debbie-downer and then run, but I gotta get back to T-M.” He grinned at her. “We gotta new croweater.”

She waved him on. “Yeah, yeah.” Then blew him a kiss. “I do love you, Tiggy. Even if you’re being Debbie-downer.” She started to lower the bed. “I think I’m going to try and get a little more sleep in before horde descends upon me again.”

Tig smiled as he opened the door, looking down at his phone. “Well, that’s gonna be about fifteen minutes from now. Chibs just sent me a text telling me to get my ass back to T-M so he can go get Jax and come back here. Sam, Judith and they boys are about twenty minutes away.” He got in a parting shot as the door closed. “So, good luck with that nap thing.”

She flipped off the man who would just know it because the force was just that strong between the two of them and slowly brought the bed back up. If she was going to be invaded soon, she should probably get that Pepsi drank.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. I love hearing your opinions, so feel free to leave any comments, concerns or constructive criticisms!
> 
> Thanks to those that have clicked that kudo button and that have taken the time to comment!
> 
> I will warn that the next chapter may be a while in coming. Not only will it be a highly emotional one, I am bound and determined to finish the family dinner chapter of 'The Other Trager Girl" before I post anything else!


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